Catvengers and the Search of the Chaos Emeralds
by jose21cena
Summary: Puss in Boots, Dulcinea, and Jose travel around the world along with new allies and new foes to find the Chaos Emeralds as the world, their world, is at stake. (Cover by Weapon24supersoldier)
1. Chapter 1

On a Sunday night in February three of the new year twenty nineteen, two football teams were playing a physical game in the championship game. Millions of fans were cheering for their favorite teams as it was the fourth quarter, the score tied at three at piece with under one second left. The New England Patriots made a play as their quarterback throws the ball and the pass is complete as they made the game-winning touchdown. The crowd roars as their team won the title, while others were crying and feeling the pain of defeat as they see their losing team humiliated by such a close loss.

The score ended ten to three in favor of the Patriots. As the celebration began, people in attendance were leaving the stadium set in Atlanta with mixed feelings. In the middle of the crowd, was a happy man in his favorite team's colors scheme all over his face walked all the way to the store. He was looking for milk and a bag of Cameos. Once he got there, he gave his desirable stuff to a blonde lady to pay for the food.

"One second, please?" says the lady as she was registering the food. The young man walked by to see some stuff. Then, a black masked criminal came in and was drawing his gun to scare off the lady.

"Money, now! Or I will shoot your crying ass down!" said the criminal, forcing her to give him combined money of three hundred dollars. She was crying and fearing for her life as her hands were trembling and whimpering. The criminal smiles as he got what he wanted, but...

"One-second thoughts," he said as he changed his mind and fired his gin to the scary lady. He closes his eyes and laughs in satisfaction as he killed the woman, or so he thought.

As he opened his eyes, he was stunned. A sword blocked the bullet and the young man, who was watching everything, was in the way to protect the blonde lady. He was not only mad because the criminal was threatening her life, but he was angry that the criminal interrupted something important to him.

"Dude, seriously? I didn't attend to a friend's honeymoon to go to the stadium and watch the Superbowl, and you took my non-hero stuff day away," he says as the criminal was scared but fired his gun at him. The young man hits the bullets with his sword as he hits the criminal with a leg sweep on the criminal's ankle. He then uses his right hand to power up a blue streak and punches the criminal i. his chest and sent him flying and crashing through various food and refrigerator. The criminal was knocked unconscious while the lady was glad that this young man saved her life.

Are you okay, madam?" said the young man, offering her his right hand as she accepts it and gets lifted up by him.

"Yes. Thank you," says the lady. The young man was about to summon his money to pay for the food, but she extends both her arms to stop his movement.

"Oh, no! It's, it's on the house," she says, offering to not pay him the money for the food. The young man does it anyway. He lends her a total of five million dollars as he took his Cameos and milk, while she was stunned by the amount of money he gave up, but she then understood why he did it, showing his gratitude and hospitality towards her.

"Keep the change," he says as he leaves the store and the woman looked surprised while she was waving her hero goodbye.

The young walk around the streets to look for his car through the crowd late at night. He was eating his Cameo cookies along with the milk, and seeing the beautiful lights from the stars and the traffic light posts. Once he made it to his car, he saw a little figure with a black hoodie and white gloves. The young man looked confused but slowly drew his sword in case he was facing a threat.

"Excuse me, can I help you?" said the young man as the black figure vanished. He was surprised and looked around for this strange individual. He then steps on an envelope. He gets his glasses so that he can read the letter.

"May your heart be your guiding key, Jose."

Jose looked even more confused and curious by the letter on the envelope. He opens it and sees a map towards a supposed treasure.

"The Chaos Emeralds? But why he gave me a map full of clues? Whoever gave me this, he was definitely trying to find it... But why he gave it to me?" Jose said as he opened the door and got inside the car. Once there, he starts it up and drives the streets. He then opens up a space bridge and gets inside the portal.

The portal got him inside the garage of his house. He gets off of his car as he was finally in his home on the in-between of both San Ricardo and San Lorenzo. Once there, he sat on a personal desk and fires up his computer to investigate. He was typing like crazy as his eyes moved around looking to know a lot about the Chaos Emeralds. He then looked at what it was and was surprised by the meaning of it.

"They are seven ancient emeralds and mystical relics tied to Master Emerald that possess powerful properties and abilities. Those that hold the Chaos Emeralds can use their powers for a variety of things, such as initiating a super transformation, powering machines, and warping time and space. Anyone who combines all seven Chaos Emeralds can control ultimate power. Even when not including their mystical powers, the Chaos Emeralds' monetary value and beauty make them prime targets of treasure hunters who seek to make a mint. Throughout history, the Chaos Emeralds have been the center of countless world-threatening conflicts and have been targeted by multiple factions on both Earth and beyond, who seek them for their near-limitless powers. In the hands of villains they have been used for doomsday weapons and schemes for world domination, and in the hands of heroes, they have been used to save the world. Over time, the Emeralds have been gathered multiple times, though they tend to scatter themselves after each usage and reset the hunt for them."

Jose was holding his hands to his cheeks like he was thinking. He was thinking about why would this figure would give him such information for free. was he playing mind games with him, or was he trying to inform him that a new danger is jumping ahead?

Jose was yawning by all this drama surrounding those mysterious emeralds.

"Targeted by factions? Who could want such power that they don't understand?" he said while reading some of the lines he has just read. Then, someone behind him has a hammer on his possession and he swings it on Jose's head as he falls down the ground. Jose breathes heavily as he was surprised by the one who hit him.

"You have any idea what time it is, Jose?"

"Puss! What are you doing here at this time of the day?" as Puss in Boots was the one who hit him and he looked like Jose doesn't have any idea what time it is.

"Jose. It is seven in the morning." Puss in Boots says.

"Fiddelfuf, Puss. It is two in the evening," Jose said, and Puss slaps himself in embarrassment.

"You do not know how time zone works, do you?" said Puss as Jose realize by what he meant and Puss was right. Jose's activity was at night when Puss was probably sleeping with Dulcinea. Jose must've returned home when Puss and Dulcinea were already back from their honeymoon.

"Oh. So how was the honeymoon?" Jose said as he was trying to act cool after his embarrassing revelation, which Puss waved his head in pure shame.

"Ay, Jose," said Puss as he was massaging his face after he saw what Jose did. He then focuses on the computer that Jose had and saw the website. He looked curious and saw what Jose is investigating.

"What is this, Jose?" the curious Puss said to his friend.

"Well, as I was leaving the stadium for the game, a strange figure about this size..." Jose said as he was measuring the size of the figure he encountered. Puss raised his eyebrows by it as if he was confused.

"As small as me?" Puss said.

"Yes. Anyways, he was on my car like it was spooking around. As soon as I said something, it vanished and left me this envelope which has several maps leading to clues about the Chaos Emeralds," said Jose. Puss was walking around d thinking about all of this, while he was looking to all options.

"Is he a friend, or a foe?" Puss says as he wanted to fully understand this situation.

"I don't know Puss. Guess we have to find out by having a little adventure?" Jose says as he was suggesting his friend while the boh of them were looking at those Chaos Emeralds.

"We should all go and find them!" A white cat in her beautiful white and purple lilac dress said with such joy as both Puss in Boots and Jose screamed because they were surprised and scared by the cat. They hold their hearts as it was beating fast and looked around, and saw the cat smiling and laughing by their overexaggerated reaction.

"Dulcinea?" both Jose and Puss said as they looked at Dulcinea, who was looking at the information of the Chaos Emeralds as she closes her eyes and uses her sixth sense to see what lies within his mystery.

"I sense that someone is going after them to destroy the world," she stated.

"Is it from another timeline or another dimension?" Jose asked as he and Puss looked at Dulcinea, concerned by the potential dangers that may lie ahead for them.

"No. Is from here, in our world. I also sense that whoever gave you this envelope Jose, is an ally," Dulcinea says.

"How do you know?" Jose asks.

"I trust her words, Jose. As strange as this envelope figure is," Puss says as he smiles at Jose, giving him his full support for his white cat lady. Jose smiles back as he agrees with Puss.

"The maps, are from far away. Is like is from several parts of the planet, including some of my side of this world and some from your side of the world, Jose and Puss."

Dulcinea finalizes her statement as she opens her eyes. Her friends were curious by all of the words she said. Then, Puss had an idea.

"I have an idea," he says.

"That's a new one," Jose says as he was joking about it and Puss punches softly his right leg like a compliment and laughs.

"What is it, Puss?" Dulcinea said as she clinches her paws and holds them down to her usual stance as she was all ears listening to Puss' idea.

"Well, my friends, my idea is this. We reform the Catvengers." Puss in Boots says.

"Reform?" Both Jose and Dulcinea said as they were curious and intrigued by Puss' words. Puss happily giggles by his idea.

"Si. We can get Kitty, you, Jose, myself, and J..."

"NOT JACK!" Jose and Dulcinea shouted and madly interrupted Puss because they did not wanted him to bring Jack Sprat for the ride, which Puss put on a grumpy face.

"Fine! We will not bring Jack. But we must get to San Ricardo to get Kitty," says Puss, while Dulcinea and Jose agreed. Jose quickly goes to his room to get changed, as Dulcinea simply closes her eye and crosses her arms to her chest to uses her magical transformation for her tulpa suit. Puss walks towards her as he already got his hat and sword.

"Are you feeling great to go out?" says Puss, putting on a smiling concerned face as he helps Dulcinea with adjusting her suit.

"Yes, Puss. I am feeling ready to go and have a great adventure," Dulcinea says as she was smiling out of joy. Puss then spins her to his face and, as she was smiling, they kiss each other on their lips.

"Hehe. I enjoyed our honeymoon, Puss." Dulcinea says.

"Me too," he says, smiling at her. Then, Jose walks by the stairs as both Puss and Dulcinea were surprised by his clothing. Jose was wearing brown jeans, with a brown jacket covered with a cream jersey, had a gun and a large brown rope onto his belt, a brown hat, and some brown boots to come along with his sword on his backpack.

"Eh. What are you wearing, Jose?" Puss says as he has no idea what Jose is wearing.

"You can call me... Josiana Jones!" Jose shouts in pride as he tips his hat like an adventurer, along with some adventuring song playing in the background, which Puss and Dulcinea were confused. Jose then gets past the stairs as he was humming in joy.

"What? If bad thoughts have filled your head, just hum a happy tune, instead. Let's get to our horses," says Jose as Puss and Dulcinea were beyond confused and put on their confusingly unbelievable loom on their faces. Especially Dulcinea, after Jose rhymed her own wisdom.

"O...kay?" they both said as they only walked to their ranch to get the horses.

Jose already was there as he sits on top of his trusted horse, Rocky. Puss and Dulcinea then join Jose as they get on their horses, Babieca and Sweetness.

"So, ready for this non-interdimensional adventure?" says Jose as he was excited about this adventure. Dulcinea and Puss looked at him with full of eagerness.

"Okay, Jose. Do we have everything?" says Dulcinea.

"Let see. I got equipment, the envelope, the key, the map... wait, the map!" Jose smiles but his joyfulness goes away to a desperate emotion as he forgot the map.

"Oh, boy," says Puss as he was pleased and laughed by Jose's nervousness. He smiles as he takes out the map from his hat as Jose was relieved by it. Jose then realized that his thirst of adventure might have forgotten him about his preparations.

"Thanks, Puss," Jose says as Puss smiles and waved his head down, signaling that it was not a problem to help a friend. And Dulcinea smiles and was showing her puppy eyes by seeing the love and compassion Jose and Puss are showing.

"Let us go! Hyah!" says Puss as he begins the ride with Babieca, while Jose and Dulcinea smiles and joins Puss on the ride to meet Kitty in San Ricardo. But without them knowing, the black figure smiles in happiness as whoever it is was following them without being spotted with a brown and cream horse, like a silent vigilante.

As they ride towards the desert, Dulcinea sees the sun shining through them.

"Look, the sun," she says as she sees the beauty of the sun. Jose laughs in joy, same as Puss.

"Si. like a friend once said... says Jose as they travel through the other side of the world they once merged with Jose's, galloping in their horses, while Jose gives out a line, one that symbolizes the three incredible friend.

"The sun will shine on us again."


	2. Chapter 2

The sun rises in the beautiful town of San Ricardo. It was nine in the morning and the people of San Ricardo were enjoying their lives very happily. Then, they looked upon outside of town as they heard three gallopings of horses passing just outside of town. They looked in awe as the saw Puss in Boots, Dulcinea, and Jose, all made to the gates of San Ricardo. They slowly walked through the gates and quickly reaches a huge standing ovation from the townspeople.

"Hey, it's Puss in Boots and his friends!" said one of the townfolks as they rapidly greeted their hero. Puss waves his paws sideways to greet the crowd, along with Dulcinea and Jose who were smiling for Puss in Boots.

"Ah, this feels like home," says Puss as he continued to salute his citizens who've once was his family. The feeling of being a symbol of honor was very important in San Ricardo that Puss will forever hold on in his heart.

"That's very true, Puss," says Dulcinea as she touches Puss' left paw and Puss softly smiles. Then, both cats and Jose made a stop, as one of the orphans, Edwin was there in the middle.

"Puss!" he said as he was running towards his hero. Puss chuckles and steps off Babieca to welcome Edwin with open paws.

"Edwin!" said Puss as Edwin happily hugs Puss and he went down by his hug. Puss smiles like he was a father Edwin never have, while Jose and Dulcinea chuckle by the lovely reunion.

"How is my favorite orphan doing today?" says a smiley Puss.

"Oh, I am doing great, Puss. Here, I made a drawing of you. Hope you like it," says Edwin as he draws a picture of Puss in Boots, Jose, and Dulcinea, all in their weapons posing and smiling like one big family. Puss smiles with all the love in the world, and Jose moans in excitement by Edwin's beautiful drawing.

"That is a lovely picture, my friend," says Puss as he rubs Edwin's forehead. Edwin giggles by his hero admiring his drawing.

"Thanks, Puss," Edwin replies.

"Edwin, have you seen Kitty?" Jose asks.

"She hasn't come back yet, Jose. She is adventuring, looking for something," Edwin answers as Dulcinea and Puss were curious by it.

"Thanks, Edwin. We will be heading to see El Comandante." Dulcinea says.

"Oh, let me guide you there, please?" says Edwin, eager to help his favorite heroes, as Jose, Dulcinea, and Puss laughs by his sweet voice.

"Okay, Edwin. Guide us!" Puss says, puffing his chest in pride, while Edwin guides his friends towards El Comandante. They reached the door, where Jose gladly opens it as Dulcinea, Puss, and Edwin walked past it while Jose came last and closed the door.

El Comandante was rounding up some thieves to imprison them for their bad actions. Then, he heard footsteps as some visitors came through the door. He checked it out, right after he let his commanders take the criminals away, and to his surprise, he sees Puss in Boots, Dulcinea, Jose, and Edwin, all walking by to visit him.

"Puss in Boots. You're back. What brings you here?" says Comandante.

"Well, my dear friend, we have come here to se if you can help us with this map," said Puss as he gives the Comandante the map they had a while ago. Dulcinea and Jose sat on some chairs, with Dulcinea standing up to her chair as she couldn't sit down, and Edwin holds Puss' paw like a cute boy as they all see the map being stretched and locked in by the Comandante's sword.

"Mhhm. The first part of this map... it leads you three to the cave of Santa Felipe. Second and third parts of this map it leads you to the temple just a few miles away from the mystic town of San Lorenzo, which doesn't exist anyways, and the deserts of San Monica. The last part of the map... I don't know where is at. It's completely blanked," said the Comandante, while the three friends looked at the map with curious looks and expressions on their faces.

"So, the cave of Santa Felipe is on that map?" said Jose with an oddly familiar expression look, in which Dulcinea took notice.

"Is something wrong, Jose?" she says as she was worried about Jose.

"It's just that... this place is where I used to play hide and seek with my parents," Jose said as the revelation of his past surprised Puss and Dulcinea. The Comandante and Edwin looked at Jose like two investigative guards.

"Really?" said Puss, which made him and Dulcinea looked at each other being concerned for Jose. They know how much his family meant to him. Because it meant the world, just like how Dulcinea and Puss in Boots mean so much to Jose.

"Yes. It was our favorite pass time as a kid. Mom and dad played there every sundown. I was a very active kid when I was a child. I played basketball with my father, read some old books with mom, but this cave, it holds so many memories. They told me that this was where they first met. They always had their honeymoons on this very cave. I can always feel them whenever I went to this cave, that was why I always found them playing hide and seek, hehe. But I haven't been there since... they passed away. Just with that feeling, I... I..."

Jose said as he was stuttering and cries a few tears. Edwin and Commandante felt a bit of his suffering, but none of them were as impactful as Puss and Dulcinea. They were feeling sad for their friend because they each know the feeling of losing the dearest ones in their lives. Dulcinea offers her right paw as Puss grabbed it, and lifts up to the chair that she's in order to get to him.

"Ah, cheer up. I am pretty sure your parents are very proud of the son you turned out to be. I am happy you still remember them," said a smiling Puss, while Jose looks at the two cats and wipes his tears off a bit, with a few sniffs as well.

"Puss' right, Jose. When as long as you remember your loved ones even in the nearest star, they will always be with you inside your heart," Dulcinea said as she and Puss smiles. Jose finishes wiping off his tears as Dulcinea's words helped him pulled through.

"God, you always come up with the best rhymes and wisdom, guys," said Jose as he hugs both Dulcinea and Puss. Edwin and the Comandante were happy to see Jose got his act together again. As they got off their hug, Jose stands up and see the map with an adventurous look on his face.

"Well, let us head to San Felipe!" he shouted very proudly. But Puss, Dulcinea, the Comandante, and Edwin looked at each other and were confused by what Jose meant as if he mispronounced the name of the town.

"Um, it's pronounced Santa Felipe, Jose," said Edwin as Jose looked unpleased by his own mistake, while Dulcinea and Puss, along with Edwin and the Comandante giggles.

"Eh, who cares? Santa Felipe, here we come!" Jose said it correctly, puffing his chest with pride, while Puss was jumping in excitement and Dulcinea claps with her eyes as wide open as an imaginative cat with great dreams.

"Huzzah!" said Puss, puffing his own chest in pride.

"Awesome! Now let's go get Kitty, and begin our journey," said Dulcinea, smiling through her big and beautiful eyes.

"Good. May you have a great adventure, and be safe," says the Comandante as he hands Puss their map.

"Gracias, Comandante. We will achieve victory in this amazing adventure my friends and I, in which no time traveling and interdimensional adventures will be as our main problem, hehe," says Puss with such certainty, while Jose and Dulcinea laugh off at Puss' enthusiasm.

Jose, Puss in Boots, and Dulcinea were leaving the room as they entered back outside of San Ricardo. Edwin was running towards Puss as Puss saw him but quickly gets a surprise hug from Edwin.

"Please be careful, Puss," said Edwin while giving Puss his own big eyes thing. Puss smiles at the little boy and rubs his hair.

"Do not worry, Edwin. I, Puss in Boots, will be careful and will come back for you. This I swear!" said a prideful Puss in Boots as Edwin was beyond happy. He waved Puss, Jose, and Dulcinea goodbyes as he was running towards the orphanage, because it was twelve in the afternoon.

As the three friends were smiling by their long conversation back there, they gasped in awe as they see Kitty Softpaws walking towards a cantina. But something was odd. Kitty had her head down like she was feeling droopy and sad about something.

"That's weird. Why would Kitty go to the human's Cantina? Shouldn't she go to the cat's Cantina?" said Dulcinea as she was worried about her. But then, she and her friends were very observant as they see five very seemingly armed masked thugs entering the same cantina as they are about to hit Kitty.

"Let's go," said Jose as they all agree. The three friends entered the cantina like three fearful vigilantes. They each took small footsteps as everyone didn't say a word.

"One leche, por favor," said a very uncheerful Kitty as the bartender delivers her a glass of milk. As she was drinking it, the five thugs were ready to strike her with five swords.

"We would like three glass of leche to accompany the pretty cat, please," Puss in Boots said as he, Jose, and Dulcinea comes to the aid of Kitty Softpaws, who gasps in surprise as she was happy to see them. The five thugs were frustrated by this turn of events, so they hide their weapons and find a place to lay low, but to their mistake, they didn't notice that Jose, Puss, and Dulcinea were aware of their plans. Only they cared for Kitty.

"So, Kitty. What brings you back here?" said Puss as Kitty quickly took notice of the ginger cat's tactics to persuade the thugs.

"I was traveling, looking for someone, instead I brought uninvited guests," Kitty replies as one of the black masked thugs was listening closely to the conversation.

"Where did you traveled?" Jose asked softly. Kitty then goes by Jose's left ear to tell a secret.

"I went to San Felipe thing to find my uncle," she says as this mysterious journey she went caught everyone's attention.

"Kitty? Um, who is your uncle?" Dulcinea said as Kitty took a deep breath, like as if the news is still new to her.

"My uncle... it told me that it was some... Guante Blanco," Kitty confesses.

"What?!" Puss in Boots and Dulcinea were shocked. Jose didn't act as surprised as they were because he doesn't know who this Guante Blanco is.

"Excuse me, who this Guante Blanco?" says a confused Jose.

"El Guante Blanco is, well he was my old master. He rescued me back where I was first exiled from San Ricardo, and he helped me become a better swordsman ever since. We parted ways when he thought that he could not teach me anymore like the student had surpassed my master, hehe," said Puss as Kitty was surprised her supposed uncle knows Puss.

"Wait, did he ever told you about a niece?" said Kitty as Puss waved his head sideways, signaling that Guante Blanco never told him about Kitty.

"Dulcinea, you seem like you've met him more than once," said Kitty as she now turns desperate for clues.

"Well, Kitty. You see..." she said before Jose kindly interrupted her.

"Kitty, I feel like Guante Blanco was another of Puss and Dulcinea's friends who were erased by Sino's magic. He probably doesn't remember Dulcinea, but maybe he knows Puss. If we tell them about his heroics before the spell, I don't know if that could break the space-time continuum. So, we don't really talk to people we've met in the past cause if we did, we would have gotten the Senior Puss Squad back together again," said Jose as it killed off any conversation Kitty had to Guante Blanco.

"But..." said Puss as his words were like it clicked a new hope now sparked through Kitty's soul.

"We can help you find him. We want to find a treasure called the Chaos Emeralds, and maybe you could help us. I am sure we will find my old maestro when we reach Santa Felipe, Kitty," said Puss as he holds her paws dearly.

He smiles at his friend, while Kitty was suddenly I interested in the idea. But then, using their cat instincts, they slowly draw their swords as the five thugs were slowly approaching because they heard enough to think that they can kill them. Jose and Dulcinea slowly prepared as well.

"What's the plan?" said Jose as he and Dulcinea smirks.

"Well, I guess we can..." said Puss as he rapidly draws his sword and defends Kitty from two thugs. Kitty then draws her dagger and kicks one of them away as she and Puss fight off two of the five thugs.

Everyone was crazy as the bar now turned into a streetfight.

"Come here, you!" said one of the thugs as Jose uses his lasso to take his sword away without even looking. Jose and Dulcinea had finished their glasses of milk and were bored by their opponents.

"So you take those two..."

"Yeah," Both Jose and Dulcinea were agreeing on who would face the two remaining thugs. Dulcinea hopps off her chair and set up her stance as she clinches her fist and let out a determined look, ready to face the two mysterious criminals.

"You will never defeat the..." said the arrogant thug who had his sword stolen by Jose as he rapidly comes after him, but was scared because Jose activated his right hand and turn it into lighting. Jose grabs him by the left hand onto his chest and throws him up to deliver a thunder right-hand punch that crashed through the bottles and everything in the cantina.

"This should be good," Jose jokingly said as he got another glass of milk and sees the hellbound destruction everyone was doing, all because the five thugs wanted to put a hit in Kitty. Then, in the very middle of it, two thugs drawer their swords and was ready to take on Dulcinea, who had her eyes closed. Didn't drew her sword, either.

"We are going to enjoy destroying g you, Goody Two Shoes!" said one thug as the chuckle like stupid villains. Jose slaps himself as he knew they have made a mistake.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you two," Jose warns them, while the two thugs didn't listen and swung his sword onto Dulcinea.

The two thugs were shocked as Dulcinea grabbed both their swords with her eyes closed. Her paws were slowly turning white as she was burning their swords. Jose stood there and drink his milk like a friend who knows that his bestie got this.

"Don't hurt my friends," Dulcinea said with an angry tone all of a sudden, then she opens her eyes as they showed her full white powered eyes and completely breaks the swords with her paws. The thugs were scared as they see Dulcinea in half her powers. Dulcinea then uses her white paws to deliver a very powerful punch to one of them and send him flying through many walls. The other drew his gun out of desperation and fear, and Dulcinea dodged the bullet and Jose quickly used his also to hit his right-hand dropping the gun in the process. Dulcinea then hits him with a jumping tornado kick to the side of the head and knocks him out cold.

"Come on Dulcinea! We must help Puss and Kitty!" said Jose as he got up and run out of the cantina, which Dulcinea agreed on and followed him, leaving the countless people fighting like a broken bar. The guards then came there to control the situation, and quickly apprehend the thug lying on the ground.

"Those three can sure make a lot of noise!" said the Comandante as he was a bit mad but he was smirking by the idea that it was Puss in Boots and his friends behind this unbelievable dilemma.

Meanwhile, outside of San Ricardo, the townspeople were locking themselves in their houses to cover themselves from all this drama. Swords clangs were heard as louder as a speaker at the three thugs were battling Puss in Boots and Kitty Softpaws. The five swordsmen were countering each other's moves and attacks.

"Hold still, you!" said one of the thugs as he was trying to hit Puss hard, but Puss was picking up his intensity and speed to counter those. Then, the thug did a fatal move as Puss got into his sword still and smirks in amazement.

"Now I am still," the prideful ginger said as he swung the thug's sword, usee both his hands like a trampoline and hit him on the neck with a cartwheel kick, followed by a powerful side kick to his chest that made him sent flying and hit one of his partners, who were battling in a two on one assault against Kitty.

"No!" said the tallest masked thug as he set up his stance, while Puss walks to accompany Kitty. She smiles and was feeling very happy like a memory repeating itself, as she didn't had this much fun with Puss alone since their adventures for the Golden Eggs.

"You will not harm anyone in San Ricardo ever again! Leave, or face the wrath of Puss in Boots!" said Puss as he set his stance and growls at the villainous thug, ready to fight both cats. But he didn't had his sword somehow.

"What, how...?"

"Looking for this?" As Kitty showed him that she had his sword because she used her softpaws. She smirks as she throws it away from his reach. She and Puss made certain movements that made their bones cracks, but they smiled as they prepare to attack this defenseless criminal with the huge growls.

Kitty Softpaws and Puss in Boots were attacking this poor thug everywhere. The thug screamed in pain as Puss and Kitty were hitting them everywhere with their unstoppable cat styles of close combat. Right hooks, left stomps uppercuts, kicks, and using their speed to slam the taller foe were enough for Kitty and Puss to finish off one of the threats menacing their home of San Ricardo.

"Just like old times, right?" said Kitty, while Puss gasps in surprise. He was so focused on fighting those thugs that he never really felt like he missed a beat with Kitty. So he gives her a big smile, one who appreciates a friend despite they were once lovers, but that didn't mean that it was the end of the world for them.

"Puss! Kitty!"Jose and Dulcinea shouted as Puss and Kitty saw them running towards them.

"Are you two okay?" said Dulcinea as Puss smiles and Kitty does the same. Dulcinea was relieved and Jose gasps in huge gladness. But they were curious as two of the thugs Puss and Kitty defeated weren't there, on the entrance of the San Ricardo motel.

"Stop!" said the voice of one of the threatening thugs who got knocked over by Puss and Kitty, and was holding Edwin hostage. Puss, Kitty, Dulcinea, a d Jose drew them swords at the thug, but the sinister coward usee Edwin as bait to force them into hesitation. Puss was beyond sad and fearful as he couldn't believe this thug was vile and heartless enough to even consider holding an orphan as a hostage, especially a hostage as sweet as Edwin.

"Edwin!" said Puss as he wanted to save him before his friends stopped him because this thug summoned his gun and pointed at the back of his head.

"Puss!" Edwin screamed as he was crying in fear. He tried to move around, but the thug was squeezing him by holding his shoulders upon his neck.

"Please, do not hurt him! I am begging you!" said Puss as he falls to his knees and begged for him to not hurt Edwin. Dulcinea and Kitty were sad seeing Puss like this, but Jose had like a trance as he had seen this before.

"Drop your swords and weapons. Now!" The thug order the heroes to drop their weapons or the child could die.

"Do what he says, por favor," said a protective Puss as Dulcinea and Kitty put their swords down and raised their paws up. Jose throws his swords away, right behind the thug, but he looked at him very seriously.

"Who are you?" said Jose as his friends were confused. The soldier laughs as he was thinking about shooting Jose in the head.

"I am but a member of the New World Order, but our name is classified. I have killed everyone in my path, so I will do it to this boy if you don't give us the map," said the thug as his intention were clear.

"Jose! Please do something!" Edwin cries as Jose felt a little pressure and he didn't want to let the boy nor Puss down.

"How many did you kill?" said Jose, closing his fists with a dark tone, while the aggressor unclicked the safe of the gun and was ready to shoot Jose.

"Jose!" said Dulcinea, Puss, and Kitty as they were scared for a moment.

"I have killed everyone, but most of them were boring. The only ones I was excited to kill was a father and his son. I murdered that piece of garbage with his own sword, while the boy... well, I threw him away to drown to the river. This dreaded cave will..." said the thug as he was gloating his life's achievements before...

"The cave of Santa Felipe... isn't it? Was this person you killed was a bearded light-skinned father with long hair, and the boy was light-skinned with short hair? " said Jose, while big lighting streaks flowed through his hands and body, and was giving the thug a death start in which Puss and Dulcinea were worried.

Everyone was confused by Jose's sudden description of those supposed victims the thug gloated about, but for Puss and Dulcinea, it suddenly felt like they know what Jose is talking about.

"How did you know that cave and those two victims I killed?" said the confused thug as he quickly put the gun towards Edwin, who was curious about Jose.

"Why are saying this stuff as if you've been there?" said the thug as his concerns were starting to hit him. So he touched his technical wristband to call for back up without anyone noticing it. He didn't know about Jose, but his approach towards him felt suddenly familiar as if he remembers him for some reason.

"Because I was there... where you drown me!" Jose takes out a huge shout as his lighting powers made him disappear. Dulcinea, Puss, Kitty, Edwin, and the thug, were all confused.

"Where did he go? No tricks! Or I will blast this kid to Hell!" said the masked desperate thug as he was looking around for Jose threatening Edwin's death. Dulcinea quietly saw Jose's sword transforming into his thunder axe. Then, loud thunder sounds were harming the fears of the thug. Suddenly the powerful axe flew and up in the sky, with his now Asgardian like armor, Jose grabs his weapon and slices the right hand of the thug, dropping his gun and freeing Edwin.

"Edwin, run!" said Puss, with every ounce of his voice, to tell a desperate and sad Edwin to run away from the danger, while deep down he was very glad Jose saved him. For Puss, Edwin was like a son to him.

So Edwin ran, as far away as possible. Puss, Dulcinea, and Kitty were shocked by Jose's sudden ability as he kicks the thug on the floor and put his ax far within hitting the head.

"WHO ARE YOU!!!!!?? Jose's burst of anger was shown as he caught up with potentially the people who have murdered his parents. But before he could get any answer, far away was a black, shoulder length, ponytail hair figure in black clothing, shooting the thug with a sniper. Jose couldn't believe what happened and he looked around to see where it came from with such hatred he has never had before but couldn't find the gunner. All he could hear were the screams of everyone in San Ricardo scared about all this violence.

"Jose, let's go!" said Dulcinea while Puss and Kitty quickly ran to their horses. Dulcinea was sad and heartbroken about what is happening to Jose that she stayed there and went to his back to cover him. Jose felt sudden despair by all of this, but deep down, she was right.

"Okay, Dulcinea. Let's get going," said Jose as he and Dulcinea quickly ran towards their horses. They took off to join Kitty and Puss, who are already on their way to Santa Felipe.

The mysterious sniper was hiding on top of a cliff seeing them riding off on their adventure. By its side, was the last of the five masked thugs, watching them ride on their horses.

"Take the shot," said the gunner, with a voice of a female warrior warlord, while giving him the sniper. He sets his aim up and was ready to shoot. But suddenly, the mysterious black hooded vigilante was here, and the thug quickly forgets Jose and his friends and turns his attention towards the small vigilante.

"Who are you?" said the sniper thug as the vigilante draws a very unique sword and houses a powerful golden beam to strike her. She dodges it out of the way, but it hits the last thug and sent him flying down to his death. She then smirks at the vigilante.

"See you soon, nobody."

She said it with such fierce and ruthless tone as she jumps off the cliff, but uses a jetpack to fly away from the vigilante. The small figured vigilante walks towards the cliff and sees below the dead thug. He looks up and sees Jose, Puss in Boots, Dulcinea, and Kitty Softpaws traveling on their next road of this new turned dangerous adventure, and takes off the hoodie and reveals his rounded ears, and his determined face.

The vigilante jumps down the cliff and lands on his brown and cream horse. He puts his yellow shoes on the horse's chest as the horse takes off and rides quickly so that this mysterious vigilante can reach Puss in Boots and the rest of his gang on time in this struggle for the Chaos Emeralds.


	3. Chapter 3

The sun was falling down as the night was taking over in the desert. The dark night and countless stars were taking over the skies, as well as the winds who its strong blows create a cold temperature. All was quiet and peaceful there. Then, sounds a burning fire was heard. It came from the just about a few blocks to the caves of Santa Felipe. It was Dulcinea, Puss in Boots, and Kitty Softpaws setting a camp there. Jose was not with his cat friends. He was sleeping in the far side of a small rock pile, away from his friends, because he couldn't bear seeing them after his past came back to haunt them. Back at the campfire, the three cats already had their campfire going and they were looking at the map to see how far they are from reaching their destination. Dulcinea looked sad and worried, which Puss took notice. Kitty signals Puss to talk to her, in which it seems Dulcinea is distracted by some thoughts.

"Are you okay, Dulcinea? Puss said as Dulcinea quickly gasps and pays attention to him.

"Oh! Um, yes Puss, I'm okay," she says in an unconvincing way. Her ears were droopy and her face was let down. Kitty touches Dulcinea's back to get her to look at her.

"Is it about what happened back there?" said Kitty as Dulcinea slowly moved her head down as she signals her friend yes.

"It is alright Dulcinea. We stopped the thieves, we got away from them, and we have saved San Ricardo and Edwin. Those thugs will come back in my opinion, but we must be ready for any surprise attacks from them," said Puss, thinking that the San Ricardo incident was the cause of her worries.

"Is not about the thugs, Puss," said Dulcinea, with her eyes more saddened than before. Kitty and Puss both put out a small surprised look, thinking that they may know the cause of her sudden worries, and Puss was feeling her bit of pain as well.

"Is it about Jose, Dulcinea?" said Puss with such a soft tone to try to get her to say her thoughts about this.

"I'm going to sleep now. We will get ready in the morning," said Kitt as she knows about what Puss is trying to do, so she leaves Puss and Dulcinea to have some privacy as she walks away with their map. Puss takes a deep breath to prepare for his conversation with a saddened Dulcinea.

"Puss. I felt Jose very differently," Dulcinea said, while Puss sits down and comes to the right side of her shoulders and waist.

"How's that?" the caring orange ginger cat said, fearing for Jose despite he was the one who saved Edwin.

"He was filled with rage and anger. It's not like him. When he looked at that thug's face, he looked like he wanted to kill him but not in the way Jose does it. He felt like he wanted to kill him viciously and violently. I'm fearing that his past is finally catching up to him, and whoever these thugs that are after us they want to hurt him so much that they would use him to make him hurt everyone he holds dearly in his heart, and that's us, Puss."

Dulcinea's confession was full of emotions and even though it was Jose's past, it affected her so much that her heart was crying deep inside. Puss completely agree with Dulcinea, which he made a mean look on his face looking at the sky, determined to not let his best friend get slowly devoured by the dark side of his past.

"He always took care of us. And he... was helping control my powers ever since we've met him back where our new life's journey together even began. I can't believe him... he is in this situation. I feel like a complete loser, I should have been a better friend and helped him on his emotions. Puss, I love him so much that I consider him more than his best friend. He's like family to me. I... I feel devastated seeing him like this."

Dulcinea then broke up large tears as she was crying and was hugging Puss hard. Puss felt her pain. He was clapping her back to calm her, embracing her hug, and understanding her love for Jose is as big as her love for Puss. Puss knew that Jose was very important to their relationship and his advice and help had constructed a deep bond that made both himself and Dulcinea grow as not only individuals but also as true friends.

"It is alright, Dulcinea," says Puss with a smile on his face.

"Huh?" Dulcinea said, confused by what she meant as Puss took her teary and sad face off of his back and wipes off her tears, appreciating her beautiful face because he hates it when he sees Dulcinea very sad.

"There is no need to overwork yourself, my love. Jose is a very humble boy, an excellent warrior, and an amazing friend to us all. Believe me, I too was sad to see him like this. Jose has helped us so many times that sometimes I feel like he wants to take the pressure off our shoulders. But the most important thing I will always respect Jose for is that he will ways have a deep respect for you. He has helped you a lot more than the number of times he had to help himself. He trusts you and loves you like you were his adoptive mother. His family may be gone, but we have always taken care of him, just like he does with us. Dulcinea, I know this hurt you just like it does to me, but we must be strong for him. We must be more than his friends."

Puss' words of wisdom quickly made Dulcinea put on a soft smile as they turn around and see a sleepy Jose. Both of them smiles as they got up.

"Ready?" Puss said with a small smirk towards his friend.

"Yes. Let's go help Jose," said Dulcinea, while Puss smiles with happiness that Dulcinea is once again with her normal confidence. The two lovers walk through the short desert to have a talk with Jose.

In another time, in the cliffs of Santa Felipe, there was a father and his two-year-old son sitting there and watching the sunset. The father was hugging his son and looked him in the eye, with full of happiness. The sons couldn't talk yet as he was still very little, just only can say expression gasps, but he deeply lovee his father with all his heart. The father rubbed his head with his right hand as he was about to tell the kid a story.

"My boy, let me tell you a wonderful story. A story that it might like you. My son, this cave, holds hidden history. The history that once was set foot by my father and my father before him and beyond. It is our bloodline that we share. It connects us. But, a myth once that that, in the deepest of his beautiful cave, lies a clue, a clue that leads to seven powerful and shining emeralds. It has said that it can create something beautiful, but also great destruction."

"Woah."

"Yes. That's why I always been into the caves, to look for the deep parts and find the clues towards that treasure. So I can wish for us to create something that could help everyone around the world. But I know I won't find it, because I am not that bright and selfless. But son, I believe that this journey... you will be the one to find this treasure cause I know, you are the best of us. I believe you, son. You are a mom and dad's greatest gift we have ever gotten. I love you, Jose."

As his words echo through the mind of Jose, now grown up, like someone is calling out to him.

"Jose. Jose" said Dulcinea softly as she and Puss were trying to wake Jose up. Jose makes a soft gasp, open his eyes slowly, and slowly yawning. in order to fully wake up.

"Were you dreaming about them again, haven't you?" said Dulcinea, whole Jose wasn't fully woken up yet.

"Hmmm," he said, confirming that he did had that dream. Jose was nearly wakened up as his vision was starting to exhibit sleepy and blurry phase and he saw Puss in Boots and Dulcinea with long and worried expressions on their face.

"Puss? Dulcinea? What's wrong with you two?" said Jose, seeing his two worried for him.

"Jose. Dulcinea and I are very concerned for you. You acted very much like a monster back in San Ricardo, and we want to see you that you aren't very emotional about what happened," said Puss, caring so much for his brother-in-arms.

"Yes, Puss. I did act that way," Jose didn't even waste time and said his actions back there, in which both Puss and Dulcinea were surprised by his honesty.

"You have got this," said Puss, looking at Dulcinea, as he fully wants to leave her to talk to his friend. Dulcinea knew that she was the only one along with Puss that can understand Jose, but she knew that Puss trusts her wisdom to handle this. She sits alongside Jose, with him looking at her with a short smile. A very unpleasant and uninspired smile, but Dulcinea feels like she can help him. Puss in Boots sits on a rock, just beside the ground where Kitty is sleeping.

"Jose. Can you tell me how you feel?" Dulcinea said in a soft tone and looking at Jose with a worried look but a soft smile on her face. Jose took a breather to start his confession, feeling a bit worried about it but he knows he trusts himself to share his feelings with Dulcinea.

"When that thug was holding Edwin and talked... I got into a trance. And when he said he killed my parents, I just snapped," said Jose as he stutters a bit because those are big confession he needed to make. Dulcinea felt worried but at least she was relieved knowing Jose is telling the truth.

"But, why did you acted like a monster," she says. Jose took his time as he sniffs for a bit.

"I... I don't know. I guess I couldn't get past by my parent's death, that I was devasted. When he was holding Edwin, it felt like one of them hold me as a hostage back when it was my family who suffered from this. The pain I am feeling... is like when I don't agree with someone it always ends in an argument, one that I always said some mean things to hurt the people they support me, just like me saying you have fake identities, and telling people I am a terrible friend. I just, felt like I wanted revenge, and all I did was making me friends be worried cause of my thirst for vengeance. But I feel like he's just a spawn, that someone with a higher power is fully responsible for their deaths. I... just a horrible friend."

Jose's words were full of regret and sorrow of pain and cries for a little bit because of his supposed failure. Dulcinea felt him. She didn't need her sixth sense to understand Jose's pain. Puss heard it from a bit far where Jose's sleeping place and he felt what he was feeling. The same feeling he once had, that loneliness, suffering from the past, and unwillingness to move on before he met Dulcinea.

Dulcinea closes her eyes and breathes as she went to talk to her saddened friend, hoping she could get him to his senses.

"Jose, you are not a monster, nor a terribly horrible friend. I know fully well about your past, and sometimes we react whenever someone sees the people that harmed our loved ones. Look at you did ever since it happened... You've helped anyone and everyone despite some of your partners died. You were a silent vigilante in San Ricardo, even though you hated it because it reminded of your failures. And you have saved Earth 18 and Zootopia, and even saved our world from Thanos. Well, the best part about it, haha... is that you did that by achieving the perfect life you ever wanted, by meeting us for the first time. I know you feel like their deaths have been your fault and that you have been carrying this guilt ever since. But please, use this as a blessing in disguise. Because if your parents never gave you the love they shared for you, they wouldn't be able to protect you from them, and your accident would have never existed. Cause, my friend, your powers were born the day your father risked his life for yours. Jose, no matter what happens from here on out, Puss and I will do anything, and I mean anything, to help you deal with these thugs slash demons of your past. And you have my word, that I will not anyone ruin the life of my friend."

Dulcinea holds his hands, while a surprised Jose looks at her with a smile on her face. Jose was feeling different. Like his past was showing him the good that ever came from his mistakes. His heart had felt kinda happy as Dulcinea's speech really helped him.

"Thank you, Dulcinea. You are right, I did do a lot of good ever since their deaths. And I would had never met you and Puss. You truly are my best friends. I am grateful for everything you have done for me. I know that they will be back and try to ruin my life some more. But I will beat them, and I will do it right alongside my new family... you two. I love you, Dulcinea. You are like the sister I never had. And I wouldn't want it any other way."

Jose was delighted by her words, that he hugged Dulcinea. Dulcinea happily embraces the hug and purrs softly to comfort her friend. Then, a smiley Puss walks towards them and he was clearly proud that Jose has returned to his normal state of mind.

"I am proud of you, Jose. And no past enemies will ever take that love and optimism you have inside your heart," he says as Jose waved his head upside down, signaling yes.

"Thanks, Puss. Dulcinea. You guys are the best," said Kose with a smile as Puss in Boots and Dulcinea were smiling with happiness. Then, an idea clicked into Dulcinea's head.

"Jose, do you want to spar with me?" Dulcinea said while Puss was in full agreement with that idea.

"What?" Jose said, very caught off guard by that surprise.

"Well, you see. back when we were in Earth 18 to save you from Evil Puss and Darth Dulcinea, Dulcinea and I had a spar to take away our worries. It worked out because Dulcinea and I had the best fight we ever had. She threw some amazing attacks, and I did the same. I put her on a sleeper hold and she did not give up for five minutes, hehe," said Puss as Jose was laughing at this little affair.

"He's right," she says while smirking and gives Puss a small punch to his left shoulder. Puss smiles at her and he grabs her head and tickles her body. She laughs by it, and Jose sees them having their romance of love.

"Well, what do you say Jose?" Dulcinea asked, smiling while she stands up and summons one of her tulpa swords. Jose chuckles a bit, while he stood up.

"Okay, Dulcinea. I will accept your challenge," said Jose as he summons one of his swords as well, accepting Dulcinea's challenge. They both went to another side of their camo, one where it was suited for a battlefield.

"Ready, Jose? I don't want you to be unprepared and lose against me," she says as she was confident. Jose laughs at her little bit of trash talk.

"Oh really? Then I guess I have to bring you my very best, haha!" said Jose, puffing his chest with pride. He and Dulcinea were setting their stance to begin. But then, to their surprise, Puss in Boots draws his sword as if he wants to join.

"Puss? What are you doing?" says Dulcinea, confused by all of this, same as Jose.

"Since you two are sparring. I would want to join you guys, as well," he says as he sets up his stance. Jose and Dulcinea were surprised and shocked that Puss wants to take on both of them.

"You sure you want to face all of us in a free for all?" Jose said, but Puss give both he and Dulcinea a smirk on his face.

"Oh, believe me, Jose and Dulcinea. I want this more than anything right now!" says Puss as his shout roared like a determined cat ready to leave everything on the line for the victory. Jose and Dulcinea looked into Puss and suddenly they feel like they should go through with this.

"Okay, Puss you can join us." Jose Rivera says.

"Really?" Puss softly said as Jose smiles at his buddy.

"Yes, my love," Dulcinea says as Puss in Boots smirks with the adrenaline of a warrior kicks in.

"En Garde!" says Puss as he swings his sword to do his stance.

"Ready?" Jose says as both Puss and Dulcinea were as ready as they'll ever be.

"Capo Ferro!"

"En Garde!"

"Hyah!"

Puss in Boots, Dulcinea, and Jose, have let out their huge battle cries, run towards one another, and began clashing their swords. The sounds of their grunting, panting, movement, swords clanging, hits, counters, everything that had to do with battles was heard by the stars and moon shining brightly on the brave heroes. The lasted over hours fighting each other to see who was the best amongst them with a lot of pride and respect for each other.

In the midst of whatever happened to Jose, it has slowly beginning to fade away for the brave hero. Like every time he was fighting Puss and Dulcinea, he felt truly happy. Like his anger was slowly devouring itself and it was disappearing. With each passing moments of their fights, Dulcinea, Puss, and Jose felt that this sparring has made them stronger and mentally more durable than before.

In the far reaches of the desert, the strange black mask thug was using some binoculars to see its prey, which was Jose and his friends.

"Ha. Soon, I will deliver my bounty to my master," the thug says, smiling so sinisterly satisfied. The thug takes out three darts and puts it onto a sniper. The thug gets down and starts adjusting the aim.

"I've got you three now, ha!" says the thug, confident he has Jose, Puss, and Dulcinea on sight. The thug fires the sniper three times and its darts were firing fast. But then, a faster blur strikes the drats and destroys them like it was nothing.

"What the fuck!? says the mysterious thug as he acted so surprised. It rapidly packs its bags and weaponry and adds it to the thug's backpack. It immediately transforms itself into a jetpack. The thug quickly outs it on and flies away.

As it flies away from the scene, the dark, and mysterious vigilante was looking in another side of the desert as he was the one who destroyed the darts. The small but brave vigilante could sit back and enjoy Jose, Puss in Boots, and Dulcinea spar as whoever it is was analyzing them. But was very happy that he saw Puss in Boota and Dulcinea helped Jose in his moment in need. He then looks at its horse, who was enjoying these three incredible friends too. The small vigilante rubs its horse very dearly. Then he looks up in the sky, like wishing to return to its own world. The saddened vigilante misses its friends. The horse jibbers at its owner to send the sad mysterious figure some love. The vigilante gladly accepts the horse's hospitality.

"Don't worry, pals. I will find a way back to you," says the vigilante while seeing an old photo paper from his pocket of its black jacket and sees its friends. And it smiles looking at them, while this strange figure continues to analyze the team of Puss in Boots, Jose, and Dulcinea, which leaves the anticipated vigilante amazed, proud, impressed, and above all, interested in their abilities.


	4. Chapter 4

Late in the evening, the rain was taking over a city of pure darkness. The black sky and a deserted filled with nothing but dark forces took over the nature of this place. Then, in the midst of it all, lies a red and black fortress, which is populated by ruthless soldiers and some captive souls for their fun and sickness ways. Millions of enslaved citizens from across the world, mostly abandoned kids, males, females, and they were all locked up united chains from top to bottom by a lot of soldiers.

On the way, there with a jetpack was the mysterious black mask thug, who lands on the ground. This thug then unpacks its flying engine and carries it like a normal backpack, while the thug walks to the gates of the fortress.

"Who goes there?" said a light-skinned bearded middle-aged man guarding his post, while he shouts at the arrival if this mysterious figure.

"It's me, you old bastard," said the thug, with a voice of a robotic evil overlord, while the guard was shaking his body up as if he was seeing a monster.

"Oh! Sorry, general! This way, sire!" said the old man as he opened the gates, letting the ruthless thug inside the fortress.

Once inside, the thug was walking around the place, this brown and cream colored place, and sees a lot of soldiers drinking, talking, playing, fighting, everything like it was a private mansion with no rules.

For the mysterious thug, it was uninterested because the thug doesn't like company.

"Hey, general, let us party," said a drunken soldier as he grabbed the soldiers of the silent general, but the enraged thug grabs his left shoulder and twists it around, breaking that shoulder, which it brought the soldier down and in severe.agony. The poor soldier screams in pain and agony as he feels his injured soldier completely motionless.

"Stay out of my way, you piece of trash!" says the thug as the general continues to walk, while the other soldiers quickly ran towards the injured soldier and attend his injuries from the shoulder\arm area.

The mysterious thug enters the main office on the higher levels of the fortress. There, the thug sees its boss, a tall white man, with black armor like it was made from the skin of a dragon. He was looking at a tube covered with purple water and chemicals surrounding this creation. The floor was covered in grey, as well as dark brown. The thug walks towards this secret place, where all of the boss' creations are being held in components and sent down below with some very large electrical elevators for pick up, but none of them pale in comparison to this perfect creation the boss was piercing his eyes into. The thug clears its throat so it can begin to speak to this boss, in which it caught his attention.

"Back so soon, heh?" said the boss, smoking a cigar as he stares at his creation.

"Yes," the thug says, while the boss was bored by the robotic voice the thug was giving.

"Come on, take out the mask. You don't need to keep up the masked monster, Agent Cattytude... Or should I say, Nina," he says with such malistic voice while turning his whole body around and stares at the dark and mysterious agent. Agent Cattytude, or Nina, takes off her mask and reveals that the thug is a she, a light-skinned young woman with attitude, with her hair is black, shoulder length, though she wears it in a ponytail.

"Sir. Our team has searched world, but haven't found a clue for the treasure we seek. That is until we found some promising talents," says Nina using her normal commanding voice. The boss suddenly feels Intrigued by those claims.

"Go on." He says.

"Three cats have found a map to the Chaos Emeralds treasure. One of them is a completely white cat with mystical powers, the other an orange ginger with hat and boots, and lastly a black and white cat. They were a company by a young man with lighting powers. He took out some of my men. I had to kill one of them because he almost told him about our scheme," Nina says with such seriousness, while her arms are closed to her chest.

"Hmm. Interesting. You said a young man with lighting power, heh?" says the boss as he was softly smirking and Nina did not catch up to him.

"Sir, what's wrong?" she asks, being extremely curious about everything as she doesn't know who any of the beings because she ever had met them before.

"It seems to me that the son of Edwin has indeed survived his death and came back to life, searching this treasure of ours."

"What do you mean?"

"Back when Edwin was betraying our cause, he had a big child, named Jose. For twenty-three years, he had evaded us from reaching out to him for his crimes against our empire. When we found him, he and Maria already had two children. We hunted them down and killed his father, but this boy disappears on sight. He suddenly took his father's powers, but we managed to hunt and took out his mother. And since then, this lowlife has been living life alone."

The boss told his backstory like he really felt this experience. Nina caught that attention and asked:

"Were you planning to save Jose from our enemy?"

"A great question for another time." He responds.

The boss smiles with such delightfulness as he founds out Jose is alive, with three new friends, friends he plans to take that away from Jose, one way or the other.

"Sire, A vigilante is watching over them. It has stopped us from finishing them off," says Nina with an attitude as she was a bit angry about her opportunities to take out Jose and his friends.

"Very unexpected." the boss responds.

"Should we tell the guys working on the Santa Felipe cave to stop their work, in order for them to prepare for their ambush?" says Nina as she was one step ahead of the general leadership.

"No. We will be patient. Let them travel to Santa Felipe and San Lorenzo. In Santa Monica, we will stop them. You will travel there to spy on Jose and his friends. in order for us to learn more about these Chaos Emeralds' importance in Jose. Maybe he may know something that not even his parents thought off," says the sinister boss, chuckling softly and still looking at his creation.

"And the vigilante, boss," Nina says as she thought that this vigilante will keep bothering her.

"The vigilante will keep protecting him, so it will be best not to engage him or any of our preys. Also, take this creation with you," says the boss as he types in some numbers and opens the component. Once opened, Nina was surprised that it was a person trapped in there.

"Who is that?" says a very surprised Agent Cattytude as the boss slowly helps the woken soldier trapped in that component.

"Well, Nina. When he was a little kid his parents were captured and killed by a group of terrorists. And it was in a different world than ours. And he got sick as the war took a toll on him. So I had invented the machine and, to her surprise, he is a mutant. A highly powerful mutant, with extra power. He also is immortal in lots of ways and can study and adjust to any fighter's fighting style. He even has claws from his toes to his fists, as well as great durability, super strength, and amazing tracker," He says as it caught her attention.

"Well, I may need his full lists of gifts he has. I need to see if he can be trusted on my mission," Nina says as she wants to see if what the boss is saying is true. The boss smiles by this and decides to grant her wish.

"Ok, child. His powers are this: Supernatural intelligence. Supernatural regeneration. Supernatural immunity to diseases, infections, poisons, and drugs. Mental resistance. Environmental adaption. Immortality. Supernatural senses of sight, hearing, and smell. Supernatural strength that can lift over 25 tons. Supernatural durability. Supernatural stamina. Supernatural speed, which he can run over ninety miles per hour. Supernatural reflexes. Supernatural agility. And finally, my favorite. Retractable organic metal bone claws; three in each hand and one in each foot."

The boss completes his creation's gifts, which made Nina stunned and amazed by such power on their side.

"Does has a name?" She wonders.

"Yes. Weapon24supersoldier, or Weapon24 for short. He will be with you so when you captured them, and maybe face a couple of enemies along the way. Don't fail me, Agent Cattytude," says the boss as the big weapon mutant walks towards Nina. Once there, he didn't say a word. Is like his mind wasn't his own, and his heart is fully controlled by the boss' influences.

"Haha! Have I ever failed you before?" she says as Nina was smirking with such attitude and confidence, to that in which the boss was smiling with joy, fully trusting her and his creation.

"Very well, the. I guess this is time to get on with the mission," says the boss as the mindless Weapon24 finds a ship.

"Nina! Remember, stealth mission," says the boss as he froze Nina, long enough he could give her instructions.

"Right! I will call you back when I see them and captured them at the right place, at the right time," Nina says with such seriousness as she took out her blaster to prove she is ready physically and mentally. She bows down to her boss before she and Weapon24 walk away from his main room and heading into the station to find some ride to go along with their villainous mission.

The boss draws out a dagger from his desk and stares at a photo of Edwin, Jose's father.

"Don't worry, my old friend. I will make sure you will rejoin with your son when my work is done," he softly says with such energy and deep evilness. He throws the dagger and smashes Edwin's photographic face, signaling the same fate will come to his son, Jose... and anyone who comes in his way to claim those Chaos Emeralds.


	5. Chapter 5

The sun rises in the middle of a decent dessert. The landscape was warm, the temperature was normal. Anything good for a deservingly good day.

On the other side of the desert, Kitty Softpaws wakes up from her nap. She yawns and stretches her whole body in order for Kitty to feel free and energetic. She gets up and, to her surprise, she sees three dirty, bruised, and smiling Puss in Boots, Dulcinea, and Jose sleeping in a circle with their swords in the middle of that circle.

"You guys always love to spar, huh?" says Kitty as she was chuckling by the fun her friends had at night. She didn't waste time and grabbed the map and headed to find her black and grey horse so that she can start her journey to Santa Felipe.

Jose slowly wakes up from his sleep, along with Puss and Dulcinea.

"Ahh, what a sleep I had!" said Jose as he was yawning and slowly standing up.

"Yeah. my body feels a bit sore after our spar," said Dulcinea standing up as she felt agony in her chest and back after her spar with both Puss and Jose.

"Yeah. I do not know who won? Probably me," said Puss as he too felt a bit of bothersome in his body. Jose and Dulcinea glare at Puss and put up some smirks after Puss said that he won that spar. The three were joking about the spar and claiming why they've won moments after.

"Are you three done with your friendly competitions?" said Kitty as she was chuckling, looking at her friends enjoying whatever memory they had last night.

"Yes, Kitty. We are done. Let us get moving to that cave!" said Puss, putting on a smiling determined look on his face as he and his friends hop onto their horses and were galloping right beside Kitty's horse.

"Ready?" said Jose while Rocky, Jose's most trusted horse, was huffing around because he is ready to begin the journey.

"Yes!" Kitty, Puss, and Dulcinea said it proud and loudly as everyone rides off with their horses and began the journey to the cave of Santa Felipe.

The group of friends rode far and wide, through the thrill and excitement of the desserts. Each one of them had such determination with each galloping their horses made. They were ready to go into the cave and rescue el Guante Blanco and discover more about the Chaos Emeralds.

The team arrives at Santa Felipe. They climbed a couple of trees as they saw countless of thugs digging holes, presumably looking for some clues. Jose uses his binoculars to see the view from afar.

"What do you see, Jose?" says Kitty.

"I see a few of them on the far right. Others are on the left side. There is no one in the middle."

"You sure, Jose?"

"Wait. I see Guante, Kitty. He's being captive. They are taking him somewhere."

Jose followed every movement the thugs were doing. As soon as he said el Guante Blanco's whereabouts, Kitty gasped in shock while Puss and Dulcinea look upon her friend.

Let"s go!" says Kitty as she rapidly wants to save her presumed uncle, but was stop by a paw on her chest by Dulcinea.

"Dulcinea, what...?" Kitty says before Dulcinea signal her with her left paw as she was about to talk.

"It's alright, Kitty. We need to be cautious about this. So we have to stay calm. Okay?" said Dulcinea. Her words really made Kitty think before she could had made a costly mistake. She waves her head down, signaling yes, as everyone smiles.

"Let us go," Puss whispers as he and his friends get off the trees and started walking slowly into the cave. They used their ability to hide, and stealth to their advantage as every single soldier didn't find them, in which Puss, Dulcinea, Kitty, and Jose took advantage of their distractions and walked right past the middle and darkest part of the cave.

There, Dulcinea uses her tulpa powers to fire up a tulpa blast on her left paw and it rapidly lightens the cave by simply igniting the cones stuck on a couple of walls on this place.

"Let's walk," Jose says and his friends listened. They walk around the place. Jose was looking at this cave like he remembers this place. Then his head was having a headache of memories of his times with his family in this very cave.

"Jose. are you alright, amigo?" said a worried Puss. He was holding onto Jose's pants to try to get him to look at him. Jose then gets out of whatever trance he was in and looks at his buddy Puss.

"Yes, Puss. I'm alright. Just looking back at some memories," Jose answers. Puss puts on a slight smile as he was relieved that Jose was all good. Dulcinea looked at them and she could tell by Jose's voice that Jose was extra emotional about going into the cave, so she paid close attention to her best friend.

The gang then walked into a dead end. Kitty was groaning in frustration, same as Puss.

"Let me see here," Jose said as he was looking at some old texts. Dulcinea, Kitty, and Puss were waiting for Jose to decipher those texts so they can keep moving to their mission.

"Hurry up, my friend!" says an impatient Puss as it got Jose distracted. Jose puts on an angry look on his face and stares down at Puss because he didn't like to be distracted.

"I am concentrating here!" says Jose as he was trying to get his concentration back. Dulcinea walks in and pulls an unamused Puss back so that Jose can have his focus.

"Let's wait here, Puss. Jose knows what he's doing, hehe," said Dulcinea as she giggles. Puss comes to realize that he did a mistake ruining Jose's focus.

"Okay, Dulcinea," he answers as he gives her a kiss to her forehead and she smiles. They waited in the back alongside Kitty, who was doing some acrobatics with her dagger to kill off some time.

Jose touches on a couple of walls to try to find something. Then, he touches a very rare wall and everyone falls down the dead end.

"Ah!" Everyone screams as they slide down in different directions of the cave as if they entered into some sort of labyrinth. Jose slowly gets up and realizes that his friends are no longer with him.

"Puss! Kitty! Dulcinea!" Jose shouts their names as he uses his powers as a light guide and starts walking through a pile of darkness and rocks in an effort to find a way out of this ancient family place and reunite with his friends.

Jose kept walking and walking for minutes. Then, he stumbles on a rock as he fell down.

"Ouch!" he shouted as he hurt his body a but. Luckily, it wasn't that big of damage as he stood up. But then, something was glowing right between Jose's forehead. He turns around to the point of the mysterious glow and sees a key of some sorts.

"Hmm?" he murmurs as he was looking at the key with such curiosity. Then, he opens his eyes as he realizes that this is one of the keys for the Chaos Emeralds.

Meanwhile, Puss, Kitty, and Dulcinea were slowly getting up after they fell down hard. They were worried about Jose, who was separated from them.

"Jose!?" every cat said as they were stuck in what it seems to be another route in Jose's family cave. Then, Kitty kittens to a few voices with her ears, which Puss and Dulcinea did the same.

"Let's go," says Kitty with a serious and determined tine as she, Puss, and Dulcinea run towards the location of those voices. Once they reached there, they saw countless soldiers still digging holes, trying to find the Chaos Emeralds or even the keys.

"Get back to work!" said one thug as he yells at one of the slaves who was getting tired from all the work he's been putting on. Puss, Kitty, and Dulcinea were watching those events being fire road closely by hiding under a few rocks like stealthy cats.

"Ye-yes sir," says the slave as he was trying to get up. The bossy thug was unamused by the weak slave's struggles, so he draws out his ropes.

"Hurry up, you black piece of trash!" said the thug as he whipped and slashes the back of the poor slave in the back. The slave screamed in exaggerated pain and agony while he was crying in shame by such a humiliating position. Dulcinea gasps in shock and was crying after seeing what is happening. She was in internal pain because she couldn't believe that they are people who are just cruel and sickening, that she sometimes thinks what is she doing in this world.

Kitty and Puss see her lying down in the back crying while they felt her pain and anger that she was having.

"Stay here and warn us if they come," said Puss aa Kitty nodded her head.

"Sure," she responds, and Puss leaves his post to walk and sit down with Dulcinea. He hugs her and rubs her head as well as her back so he can comfort her. Dulcinea holds him tight and cries into Puss' chest in an effort to be free from all this pain.

"Why are people so cruel!?" says Dulcinea, letting out loud tears. Puss felt her suffering because he knows the type of cat Dulcinea is, and probably she doesn't know the world's evil colors, especially considering the fact that they have been in different dimensions for so long that it may have forgotten about the cruelties this world possesses.

"Dulcinea. The world does bring in the worst in people, but it also brings the best in us. There are some that will hurt the innocents every time. But as long as heroes like you, Kitty, Jose, and I stay together, then we can always trust that we do our best to make our world a better place," said Puss as his words melted her heart with happiness. She wipes off her tears as Puss offers her his right paw, which she kindly accepts and uses it to stand up.

"Thanks, Puss," she says as she kisses Puss on the lips, which he and Dulcinea embraced it so romantically.

Then, Kitty gasps as she sees her supposed uncle digging holes like he is one of the slaves. She whistles her friends as Puss and Dulcinea broke up their kiss and went back to their positions.

El Guante Blanco was struggling with his breath, clearly showing his whips and slash that he took by those powerful lassos. He falls down as he was slowly losing air.

"Don't stop, old man!" said one of those thugs. Dulcinea, Puss, and Kitty were on top of a rock, waiting to get the jump.on the thugs and start fighting their way of this place so that they can save el Guante Blanco.

"Ready, girls?" says Puss as all three cats put on a determined stare on their faces and nodded yes.

Then, the thug was about to whip Guante Blanco again with the lasso, unaware that it was the perfect time to strike.

"Now!" says Puss and he, Kitty, and Dulcinea jumps landed it a powerful takedown to the thug that it knocked him down out cold. Every other thug heard the loud sounds as the turned their heads around and saw the three cats with their fighting stance and their swords in their positions.

"Gi... Ginger?" said a weary Guante Blanco as he closes his eyes and falls unconscious due to his injuries, and Puss turns around and checks on his maestro.

"Maestro, it is I, Puss in Boots. Just hang on while we get you out," said Puss in a soft tone. He checked his vitals and were good, but he needed to leave the place and find a safe place so that he can get treatment. Then, Puss looks dead serious at those thugs, who yelled and began to run towards him and his friends.

"En garde!" said Puss as he runs to face them, while Kitty and Dulcinea follow his lead and yelled as well to be ready for the fight.

"Capo Ferro!" Dulcinea yells while twenty thugs came in and confronted the tulpa. They use several swings at their swords together but Dulcinea's quickness and accuracy made her appalled their attacks with her sword.

Kitty and Puss were handling twenty more thugs with their skills. They dodge and counter every sword swings with their incredible chemistry and were able to kick a few thugs in their face and continued their attacks.

The three cats were merely unstoppable as El Guante Blanco slowly opens his eye. He wasn't going to keep them open for long as he was very weak, but before he could go back to sleep, he was watching Puss fighting the thugs and was very curious about Kitty and Dulcinea.

"Who... are those two?" he says before he passes out again.

The thugs brought more reinforcements and they all centered on Dulcinea. Puss see it and looked straight at Kitty.

"Kitty!" he says as he and Kitty grab their paws, spins around and jumps high, which it ended this feat by hitting five thugs trying to surround a busy Dulcinea from behind and knocks them out.

"Thanks!" said Dulcinea as she looked at her friends and saw what happened. Kitty and Puss nodded and the three cats quickly came back to face the thugs, this time together. The three cats use their combined powers to kick butts and take names. Even Kitty and Puss were used as a trampoline as Dulcinea jumps on their paws, gets very high, spins around with her whole body turning very white energy, and with her white paws, she punches the floor hard as it created a huge quake that put every single thug fall over in pain.

"We did it!" says Puss, already claiming victory. But then forty-eight thieves came in to face the three cats with nine lives each.

"Oh, come on!" says Puss who was beyond mad because they won't run away. But then, one of the thugs shoots his shotgun high, giving them a warning because he was standing just inches closer to Puss' weary master. Puss and Kitty turn around growls in anger at the face of the thug, but quickly change to desperation looks as they saw Puss' master and Kitty's supposed uncle in danger.

"Let him go!" says an anger Puss.

"Or what?" the tall and buffed thug responds as he reloads the weapon and points it at Guante Blanco's head.

Dulcinea was slowly drawing her sword but was dead tired due to her big attack wore down her energy. But then, thirty thieves took advantage as they all jump and squashed Dulcinea.

"Ah!" she screams in pain as they were running towards the shotgun holder and immediately throws her to Guante's position.

"Dulcinea!" Puss screams in a lot of fear as Dulcinea couldn't get up because the thug placed his big right feet on her right head and was quickly breaking her bones.

"Stop it!" Kitty and Puss yell, begging him to stop hurting Dulcinea. The thug smirks as he ordered one of his henchmen to bring his tall and powerful lasso.

"His life, or her capture? You decide which one of them you want to spare," The thug made a sickening offer, one where Puss was at a crossroads.

"Why are you being so cruel to them? They have never bothered you nor met you in their lives to have such injustice!" says Puss, crying and clenching his fists in the midst of a hard decision, one, not even his heart wanted to answer for the sake of not hurting his loved ones.

You're right, they didn't do anything to us. We just want to your little thunder boy fall on the knees of our boss and ruin his life to the corpse," said the tall and cocky thug as one of his partners got him the tall black lasso and whips it to the floor so hard it made a crack on a medium sized rock. Dulci ea was gritting her teeth as she was still being squashed in the head by the thug's giant right foot.

"Please! Don't hurt them!" Kitty yells as she was holding her paws pounding her chest while crying, begging for him to release her friends. Puss was speechless. He couldn't and doesn't know what to do.

"Hmm. I guess I will..." The thug said as he was about to wound somebody until he was interrupted by Dulcinea, who hit him with her right claws on his left foot. That didn't bother him, but she wanted to have his attention.

"If you want him so bad, then you better make me hurt, bub!" Dulcinea says with such intensity because she wanted to spare Guante's life. The thug was overly angry as he increases the pressure of her head and she was screaming to the highest point of her lungs, as a way to see if she will rethink her words.

"No!" Puss says, extremely angry because his enemy is hurting Dulcinea, as he draws his sword and comes at this thug before Kitty stops him because ten thieves released their guns and were about to shoot Puss.

"Please, Puss!" a frightened Kitty said as she holds his right paw holding his sword, still with that angry look on his face. He then slowly changes his expression as he looks at his current situation, the sad look, Dulcinea's pain as well as his maestro, and like a hero who has no choice, he drops his sword to the ground. His head down in shame but still doesn't know what to choose.

Dulcinea saw it with sadness as she couldn't believe Puss would just surrender. She thought of a way out of the hole, but it was gonna be painful. She closes her eyes and starts communicating a destroyed from the inside Puss with her mind.

"Puss. Is okay, I can take it. Do you trust me?" she says telepathically as Puss was confused, but quickly knows it was her speaking.

"But Dulcinea... I cannot get you hurt!" he said it in his mind as well, looking at her as she was giving him a slight smile.

"I know. We need Jose to find us in this labyrinth. Please Puss, you gotta let me do this," says Dulcinea. Puss knew she was right, they needed Jose so bad. Puss takes a deep breath as he was about to make an answer to her, one he hopes could change the angle of their problems.

"Okay, Dulcinea. Do it. Please hang on," says Puss as he and Dulcinea smile softly so that the enemies couldn't tell what they are plotting.

"Hehe, I had worse beatings before. Thanks," she says as she gets out of her telepathic communication with Puss. Then, back to reality, Dulcinea opens her eyes and lets out a huge roar.

"Hit me with your worst!" said a determined Dulcinea, who was trying to spare el Guante Blanco, which surprised the tall thug. The thug was feeling humiliated by Dulcinea's toughness, and he was ticked off.

"Get her over there, now!" says the angry thug as two of them grabbed Dulcinea, tied both her paws with chains and they put her in the middle of a rock. They stretch her arms high with Dulcinea gritting her teeth. The tall thug then rips off her armor, leaving her fur wide open.

"Dulcinea!" says Kitty was she wants to help, but Puss stretches his right arm and hits her chest softly, stopping her in her tracks.

"Trust her. She would had not been in this position for nothing," said Puss. Kitty wanted to help her friend, but she listened to Puss and trusted his guts, as well as Dulcinea's heart.

"Now, will you be acting like a charm and listen to me, or be the tough cat and suffer!?" the thug yells at Dulcinea by the ear, while Dulcinea was still grunting in pain.

"I won't listen to you!" says a defiant Dulcinea, as the tall thug wasn't amused by it. So he lets out a huge spin on the lasso and hits her back with such force.

Dulcinea was screaming in pain, in such slavery position. But she knew that she had to do it to save Puss' master and old friend. As the thug continues to wipe her with the lasso, leaving countless marks on her back as well as a bit of blood, Puss and Kitty sit back and cry as they watch heir friend suffering by this imbecile.

Jose was still on the other side of the cave and was looking at the key in hand. Then he hears screams. Painful screams. Jose was listening as he was trying to pinpoint who was the scream coming from. He closes his eyes and heard the screams, over and over. Then he heard Puss and Kitty crying. He didn't know why they are crying. But then, a huge roar of pain was here loud and clear. And Jose's powers was flowing through his body as he gets up, shaking his fists in intense motion, and looked on the right side of his position like he knows where he needs to go.

"Dulcinea!" says an angered Jose as he opens his eyes in his blue thunder power, and rapidly runs fast, punching through holes after holes.

Dulcinea was getting very weaker as she was struck a hundred more times with the tall thug's lasso. Then, the thug grabs her head and squeezes it. Puss and Kittu couldn't bear watching, but they've heard noises. noises of thunder coming from afar, and Puss knows those all too well.

"Hang on a bit more Dulcinea," Puss whispers as he was praying for Dulcinea to stay tough.

"So, dear cat, how do you choose to die?!" the tall thug says as he spits a few of hos saliva towards her bloody face. But Dulcinea, despite as many as three hundred thugs surrounding her friends, El Guante Blanco lying there in his weak state, and Jose looking for her, Dulcinea kept her determination in her heart and refuser to give in to the thug's ruthless games.

"No!" she screams to the top of her veins, and the thug in mere anger. As he was about to swing his lasso for the final blow, a small pile of rock from the roof hit his head and made him stop his attempt at hitting Dulcinea. He was curious like a dog preparing for danger. But then, a pile of lighting broke through on top of the rock roof and hits the thug hard. Was screaming in pain and was killed off by the full power of the thunder, crashing through various walls of rocks.

Then, in the midst of the thunder, the thugs were angered, while Puss and Kitty were beyond relieved and happy, as Jose appears and uses his thunder streak to shoot the two thugs holding his tulpa friend's chains. Then he runs towards her and releases her chains. Dulcinea's eyes were blurry and her body trembling in pain, but she smiled at the arrival of Jose.

"You... came," she softly says as she closes her eyes and passes out. Jose slightly smiles back when he checked on her and was happy she was okay.

"You rest, Dulcinea. While I get us out of here," said Jose as he took Dulcinea on his back like a backpack. Then Puss and Kitty draw their sword put, ready for a fight out of this place. Jose sees it and shoots a thunder streak up high, breaking the roof and the foundations of this cave. Then, everyone looked confused as loud thuds were heard. And they realized that the cave was breaking apart and Puss and Kitty see it and quickly hits ten thugs on the way towards Jose and the rest.

"Grab Guante and get out of here quick!" says Jose as they did just that.

"What about you?" said Puss as they were running quickly out of this broken cave.

"I'll follow you and get as many stupid thugs as I can, so we can escape easily while I take Dulcinea with me!" Jose shouts as Kitty and Puss took Guante Blanco runs towards the exit of the cave before it crumbles down with them, kicking a few enemies while they reach their escape.

Jose was running while holding a very weak Dulcinea aa the pile of rocks was coming down rapidly. He and countless thugs were running for their lives. Then, a few thugs attacked Jose, but Jose dodges it and hits them with his sword, knocking them out and the rocks squash them. Jose keeps running and doesn't look back. But a few more thugs use their guns and fired at Jose. Jose usee his sword to repelled against those. Then Jose gets his energy up as he swings his sword and quickly smashes the enemies with his thunder powers, hitting them hard on the chest and lets the falling cave eats them alive.

Time was running out as the gap of the exit was closed, Jose runs as fast as he could to leave just in time. He was getting closer and sees Puss and Kitty taking El Guante Blanco safely out and riding on their horses, but then he was shot in the leg by a combined thirty thugs. Jose falls down, gets up and was limping in pain. Then, the remaining thugs combined their gins to create a super bazooka and quickly fires at Jose.

Jose was done for as he couldn't reach the exit in time and was about to go down and be buried alive along with Dulcinea because the thug creates a strong shield to survive the crumbles of the cave. But then, Dulcinea wakes up, with her eyes white and her paws bursting with energy, and punches the bazooka and she turns it over to them, this time adding her own powers to break the shield and destroys them.

"Dulcinea?!" says a surprised Jose as Dulcinea smiles and uses her remaining energy she hs left to create a speed boost and both friends were as fast as a rocket and pushes through.

"Hang on!" says Dulcinea as they all scream with efforts. Then, they made it through the exit. The sun was getting down as it was sunrise, and both Jose and Dulcinea fall down on the sands. Jose gets up, but Dulcinea was back on her unconsciousness as before and Jose grabs her.

"Thank you," Jose says as he gently smiles at his sleeping friend. He puts her back on his back and gets inside his horse Rocky and took Sweetness with him, and took Dulcinea in a sleeping position on her trusted horsey companion.

The horses run across the deserts, trying to find Puss and Kitty and get to a safe place in San Felipe.

On the way to catch up to Puss and Kitty, with an also weary Guante Blanco, Jose sees his weary friend, her wounds, lasso marks on her back, and blood coming through her body, and he was sad that Dulcinea had to go there so he can reach her. But was happy that Dulcinea was brave enough and strong enough to do what she did, as well as saving him, and his heart was feeling joyful and honored to have her by his side.


	6. Chapter 6

Nightfall in a black colored abandoned shack, safe enough to live with plenty of resources, Puss in Boots and Kitty Softpaws were helping a sleepy Guante Blanco, who was recovering from his injuries from those disgraceful criminals. Puss was using a towel to clean up a few wounds that his mentor has, while Kitty helps him out. Both cats were thinking about how did El Guante Blanco became Kitty's uncle. Then, the old cat slowly opens his eyes as he groans a little bit.

"Gi...Ginger?" he says as his voice was soft due to still suffering those effects from the cave slavery, while Puss gasps at his maestro.

"Maestro. Is it really you?" says Puss, who is very worried and concerned for Guante Blanco. A concerned Kitty placed her paws on Puss's left shoulder to see her supposed uncle. El Guante Blanco gives a small smile to Puss.

"Yes. What are you doing here?" El Guante Blanco says as Puss was very grateful and hugs him.

"Oh, maestro! I was so worried about you!" a crying Puss says as he lets out some tears to share his emotions and worries to El Guante Blanco.

"Ah, Puss. it is very good to see you, too," says a smiling Guante Blanco.

"Mmhm.. You must be Kitty Softpaws," he says as the black cat as he was intriufed by the pressnce of Kitty, who was confused and her mind rattle by all of this confusion and mystery that has brought her here.

"Sir, why did you leave me alone all those years?" Kitty says, confused by her feelings, letting her self doubts cloud her judgement, as she was reffering to how she knows by some theory that he is her lost uncle.

"I see. Well then, there is much to discuss," El Guante Blanco stated as he looks at Puss and Kitty sitting on some couch, ready to begin his explanation behind all of this and his version of this struggle.

Jose, meanwhile, was at a white and black room up top of the shack as he was putting a towel on some cold water, and springs it. He then walks towards a very hurting and sleepy Dulcinea, who was in a bedroom sleeping throught some of her injuries she took by the lasso of those thieves, especially from the main leader. Jose was removing her armor from her

"Hey, Dulcinea," Joss whispers gently, while Dulcinea slwoly opens her eyes, groaning in pain as her body was trembling and bothering her a bit, but she manages to pull through that little bit of pain to fullly wake up.

"Yes, Jose?" she says.

"Hehe. I am glad that you are fine. Now try to relax while to clean you up," Jose says as she nods. Then, he slowly puts the towel on her back as he was beginning to clean her wounds, but she was gritting her teeth as she was on agonizing pain by it.

"Easy, easy," Jose says as he rubs her back and head to calm a very hurt Dulcinea down. She screams in agony by every swipe of towel in her body, but she purrs with every soft rubs of Jose's right hand to help her get through this.

Jose kept swiping her wounds, until then, he finishes up and Dulcinea was groaning in relief. Jose then massages her back and neck to help her feel better.

"Thanks, Jose. For helping me back there," Dulcinea says, happy that her best friend helped her back at the cave.

"That is what friends do. And I will be here for anything you and Puss want me to do," Jose responds with a smile on his face. Dulcinea's heart melted with joy as she was getting up from her bedroom and putting back her armor.

"Let's go ahead and see Puss and the rest," Jose says as he prepares himself to go to the living room where Puss, Kitty, and El Guante Blanco are at. Dulcinea smiles and nods at Jose as she walks with him to join their friends.

Five minutes later, everyone kinda understood what was going on between the connection of El Guante Blanco and the adventure for the Chaos Emeralds.

"So let me get this straight. Ten months ago, you've were on an adventure with an ugly duckling and stumbled upon a discovery in which you've found out about Kitty being your niece and that she lived in San Ricardo?" says Jose as he was confused by all of this and wanted to understand everything he can.

"Yes, mister Jose," the old black cat replies.

"But before you were about to meet her, you got dusted away, but by the time you suddenly came back to life, you had to rush in on your student because it wasn't with you when it happen," Jose states as he became more intrigued by this, while and Dulcinea were paying attention to every detail because they were surprised that he was affected by the then menacing Thanos's Decimation.

"Yes. And it was the worst day of my life," Guante Blanco says with the heaviest of words because he still hasn't gotten over that painful moment in his life.

"Not the only one with this particular nightmares, maestro," Puss in Boots responds, remaining his teacher and the rest of the group about his moments during these times, while a sentimental Dulcinea holds his right shoulder and cuddles him tight and warm.

"And nine months later you found that duck, but you were kidnapped by the thieves who slaved you in that cavecave and told the duck before that to find Kitty, where she later finds out about your identity," Jose finishes off his sentence, and Kitty looked at her supposed uncle and gets up, clearly feeling all mixed about this.

"But I don't understand. If you are my uncle, why you didn't take care of me, and left me in that house so that she cuts my claws. Why you left me all alone and had to learn how to defend myself? Please, be honest and tell me the truth," Kitty says as her words came from the heart after years of being a lone cat, fighting through suffering, pain, and the pressure of always being a loner. The old cat slowly gets up and breathes heavily.

"Mi amor, it wasn't my intentions to hurt her. When I was young and in my best shape, I saw a little kitten in the dessert if an unpopular town, and some thieves came from a bar to kill you after they were attacking the citizens. I, of course, stopped them and saved you. When I hold you in my arms, I knew I needed to find a place to keep you safe from the vile and cruel world we were living back then. So I traveled for two days and that's when I dropped you to that house, but by looking at the window after I did, my heart felt heavy, something I never had before in my life since I felt it for my love of adventures. Years later, I heard about this Kitty Softpaws helping the town of San Ricardo, and I wanted to see you, but I was dusted. Then I tried again, and I got kidnapped and enslaved by these... these miserable cowards. But now, all I can say is I'm sorry, Kitty. Sorry for not being there with you when you were a little kitten,"

The old cat said as his words were full of regrets, and sorrow. Kitty felt kinda sad at first, but she was deeply happy knowing that her uncle really cared for her. She hugs him as he was surprised.

"Thank you, uncle," says Kitty as she cries for this moment of happiness, and her uncle gladly embraces her. Puss, Dulcinea, and Jose were happy to see those two finally having their long awaited reunion.

"Hehe. Thank you, Kitty. I am very happy that you've grown up to be a great being," says Guante Blanco, breaking up his hug with her while paying his respect towards Kitty, while she smiles.

"Mister Blanco, I'm sorry to interrupt, but do you know anything about these thieves you have encounter?" says Dulcinea as the old cat stares down at her.

"Nothing much, miss?" he says as he was confused because he doesn't remember her name yet, or in this case, he doesn't remember her at all because of the time reversal Sino did a long time ago in order for the world to be restored, a very powerful and monumental moment for her and Puss.

"Oh! Hehe, Ducinea," she says in her normal, high spirited voice as everyone happily smiles at her.

"Thanks. I do not know anything, but they always keep talking about this plan, this Chaos Emeralds obsession that they had with their boss. I don't know why, but whenever I heard then saying those words while being enslaved, it makes ne wonder what were they up to. I though it was nothing, but until they faced you three, I knew that you had something involved in this. And thanks to Puss, he told me everything," El Guante Blanco says, and Jose quickly looks at Puss with the though of knowing this.

"Puss. It is time," Jose says with a determined voice, while Puss stares him down and nods.

"Yes," he responds, then he looks towards his teacher.

"Maestro, we are going out to find out more about all of this. Would it not be a problem staying here for the moment? I promise we will return once we get everything solved," says Puss, holding El Guante Blanco's left shoulder with his right paw so that he can speak to him on an understanding level.

"Do not worry, Ginger. You do what you got to do. Just please, swear to me, you will bring Kitty along for the ride," the old teacher responds as Kitty looked at him with open eyes, while Jose and Dulcinea left the shack with smiles on their faces and prepared their horses for the ride ahead.

"I will, maestro," says Puss as he assured his teacher Kitty will come, which he smiles. Then Puss left the shack to prepare as well, as he looks at Kitty and smiles at his friend before that. Kitty then walks towards her uncle with a worried look, but she was confident he would be alright while he recovers from his agin and hurt body.

"Please be safe, uncle. I don't want to lose you to those thives, soldiers, or whatever they want to call themselves, says Kitty, as those words towards those delinquents who hurt her uncle lighted a fire inside her that mare her determine to stop their plans, and her uncle couldn't be more prouder.

"I will be, my niece. Now go ahead and join your friends, Kitty Softpaws. I love you," he says as he hugs her for a brief moment. Then, Kitty breaks it up, and looks at him with a happy expression on her face.

"I will. Take care," she says as she runs towards outside the shack, while he waves goodbye to her. El Guante Blanco slowly walks outside and sees Jose, Dulcinea, Kitty Softpaws, and Puss in Boots riding on their horses in the middle of the night, with the stars brightening. He closes his eyes, and looks up to the skies, and prays to Felina, the somewhat cat God Puss always prays for most of the time.

"Felina, please guide Ginger, Kitty, and the rest of their friends," he says as he opens his eyes and walks inside the shack to rest, with high hopes.

Just by the medium cliff outside the shack, the vigilante followed thethe group of cats and young man and stayed there, with its horse watching alongside the vigilante, waiting for any sudden moves and danger that may cone to that little old shack.


	7. Chapter 7

Three hours later, as the dawn approaches, Puss in Boots, Kitty Softpaws, Jose, and Dulcinea were outside the dessert of the now hidden town of San Lorenzo, looking at the main cave as their horses slowly galloped their way towards the entrance.

"Let us stop there," says Puss as he and his friends stopped their horses. They got off and wrap their horses on some branches as as they rub them.

"Take care, Babieca," says Puss, talking to his trusted horse.

"Oh, Sweetness, don't be sad. I will return before you know it," Dulcinea says, calming her sad horse down for a moment.

"Let's go," says Jose, nodding to his trusted and valiant horse Rocky, while Kitty follows him towards the cave.

"Ready, Dulcinea," says Puss as he looked at her while they finished up calming down Babieca and Sweetness.

"Right there with you, Puss," she says, giving him a determined smirk while they walk to follow their friends as they enter the cage.

The team enters the dark cave as some blue lights brighten their view. Jose looked around and felt a bit cold while the rest of his team felt the same.

"Puss, you know this place so much. What can you tell us about this cave?" Jose says as Kitty and Dulcinea agree to his thoughts, while Puss and the rest of the team looked around the cave.

"This is just a normal cave, where in my days as a citizen and hero in San Lorenzo, this cave is been known for treasures and dragons," says Puss as Jose suddenly felt shocked by that last word.

"Dra... Dragons?!" Jose says as he is frighten by the though of encountering a dragon. Dulcinea sees this and holds right hand and Jose looks at her.

"Don't worry, Jose. This dragon is actually a good one. We may even meet it," says Dulcinea with a giggle. Jose smiles a little bit knowing that he will trust Dulcinea's words.

"Puss, look at this," says Kitty as Puss heard her voice. He goes towards her.

"What is it, Kitty?" says Puss, while Kitty points him out a pile of dirt... with footprints. Puss crouched himself and touched the dirt and licked the dirt, like a all around detective.

"Puss, what's wrong?" says Jose as he and Dulcinea were kinda worried about this sudden development. Puss then stops investigating the footprints as he puts on a sudden glare.

"We have company, amigos," says Puss as everyone releases their swords after that. Then, Puss slowly walks around and then he stops, with his ears moving around. Dulcinea and Kitty did the same, like they are hearing something.

"Uh, cats?" says a confused Jose as he has absolutely no idea what's going on.

"There!" says Kitty as she spotted something and she runs on four paws, same as Puss. Dulcinea and Jose just ran like normal humans as they follow their fellow friends.

The team were running throughout the cave for a couple of seconds with a lot of speed. Then, they stop as they see several thugs, bad thugs, laughing in pride, because they have found another key to the Chaos Emeralds.Three thugs, about the same size as the three cats, were starting to march away from the cave. But the heroes kept close sharp on them. They weren't desperate, but were patiently looking at the bad guys, waiting for that opening.

"Follow me," Puss whispers as he and his friends slowly used their stealthy skills to avoid any contact with the enemy. They reach the top of the cave, where they see three undetected thugs below them, waiting for them to strike.

"What is the plan, Puss?" says Kitty as she and Dulcinea moved their heads to look closer on the surroundings.

"We need to get that key from those three thugs, Puss. But we have to do it without every single one of them get to us before we face them, but it will be too late," Dulcinea clarifies to Puss and the rest of her friends the situation at hand.

"I know, Dulcinea," Puss says, staring down at the key. All three were so focused that they did not see Jose was preparing a couple of arrows and brought a bow out of his wristband, the same kind that has the nanotechnology clock his brother made for him, and put his swords on his back and make a stance with his newly created weapon.

"Puss, Kitty, Dulcinea. You handle those three thugs with the key. I'll get you some cover firefire and hold them off as long as I can," says a determined Jose as everyone turns around and looks at him ready to go.

"Are you sure you up for this, amigo?" says Puss with a soft smile.

"Trust me, Puss. I am so ready for this," says Jose as he locks in his bow and arrow and he jumps down to stealth attack the three thugs below. With hard kicks, and a pierce through the chest with the arrow, Jose successfully defeats them without unwanted attention and pushes foward towards his mission.

"Wow!" Puss gasps in awe as he was impress by Jose's actions. He then runs in pursuit of the key alongside Dulcinea and Kitty.

Jose runs around below the cave and shoots a bunch of arrows at two undetected thugs. Then, a bunch of them turns around and saw Jose as they all prep their guns.

"Hello," he says as he was smirking. Then the thugs rain a bunch of bullets as Jose took cover in one of the rocks and he started hitting thugs left and right with incredible aiming and precision with his arrows. The thugs were beginning to fall one by one as they couldn't find an answer for Jose.

Then, some reinforcements arrives as they fire at Jose. He quickly notices it and runs as far from the danger zone as possible. He jumps and slides towards another cover, this time he was pinned, but he did his best to kill anyone in sight with his weapon.

The three thugs were leaving the cave as they see the exit, only for Puss in Boots, Kitty Softpaws, and Dulcinea blocking the way. The three cats got their swords and were surprised, as the thugs were three cats with similar size and fur color as all three of the heroes, and they did not had mouths.

"So, quiet ones, are you ready to feel the combine wrath of Puss, Kitty, and Dulcinea?" says an energetic Puss as Kitty and Dulcinea agrees. Then, the three thugs quickly got their own swords and began to attack the three heroes and the six cats took one of them one by one.

Puss was fighting one of the thugs. They were fencing their swords back and forth with incredible speed and agility.

"You will not beat me, puppet!" says Puss as he was striking him down, before the silent thug kicks him in the gut. Puss growls in pain but he shakes off his pain and immediately fights it back.

Dulcinea and Kitty teamed up to attack against their two other thugs with amazing teamwork, but the thugs sepreated them by kicking Dulcinea out of the way with enormous power, leaving Kitty to defend herself.

"Dulcinea!" she says as she struggles to defend against two thugs that surprisingly matches her style and swords fencing skills. The two thugs managed to kick Kitty's gut while one of them grabs her right arm, turns it around, and then it grabs her throat from behind and chokes Kitty.

"Ahhrgh!" Kitty screams as she was struggling to breath and she dropsdrops her sword due to her struggles. One of the silent thug with the white fur holds its sword high and was about to slash Kitty with it. The black and white fur cat kept applying its intense pressure on the sleeper hold on Kitty as Kitty gasps in desperation and closes her eyes because she was passing out, without any room to breathe. The white cat slash its sword and... was blocked by another sword. It was Dulcinea, and she was growling in effort as Kitty tries to escape her predicament.

Dulcinea lifts its sword up and delivers a jumping sidekick to the white cat, while Kitty escapes the hold and grabs the black and white cat's back of its head and throws her, crashing into the white cat as they hit a wall of rocks hard.

"Are you okay, Kitty?" Dulcinea says as she offers her left paw towards a fallen Softpaws, who was desperately breathing after being choked by those thugs. Kitty then grabs Dulcinea's paw and lifts herself up.

"I am now, thanks to you," says Kitty as she smiles at Dulcinea, which the white cat smiles back at her. Then, they turn their attention at their enemies, who were moving their bodies strangely.

"Dulcinea?" says a confused Kitty while she look at Dulcinea, who stares down at those thugs and holds her sword very tight like she was ready for any strategy these thugs were planning to do now. Then, the thugs finished their weird stuff, and to Kitty and Dulcinea's surprise, they turned into mere copies of themselves.

"What the?!" Kitty shouts in surprise as she couldn't believe this turn of events. But Dulcinea swings her sword and stance her position, while picking her friend's sword with her foot as Kitty grabs it.

"I got your back," Dulcinea glares as she gives a determine smirk to Kitty. That made Kitty have complete confidence and trust towards Dulcinea, while the duplicate cats growls towards them as they approach them.

"Let's go!" says Kitty as she and Dulcinea approach their enemies and the two teams continue to fight in this cave for bragging rights, with incredible sword techniques, speed, agility, and teamwork.

Meanwhile, Puss fights off the other thug as Puds reaches his sword towards its chest, and takes a chance at grabbing the key on its belt using his right paw. But the intelligent orange cat grabbed Puss's right arm and stated twisting it.

"Ahhh!" Puss screams in pain as a few bones were breaking by that hold, and the thug followed that up by swinging his body and slams Puss onto a wall. Puss groaned in agony as his vision was blurry, and he was becoming dizzy after he took that hard hit. Then, the thug was moving strangely.

"What?" says a confused Puss as he saw his foe suddenly changing into Puss.

"What's the matter, Puss? Afraid of figthing yourself?" says the clone Puss with a sinister voice, almost as if it was controlled from the inside by an even more powerful evil. But Puss did not vare one bit. He slams a fist to the ground as he grits his teeth and gets up. He then holds his sword very tight as he stares down as his doppelganger.

"I am Puss in Boots. And I fear nothing!" the prideful cat yells proudly as he jumps towards his foe and the two of them slashes and clashes their swords as Puss continues to fight back. The clone Puss goes for a slash at the chest of Puss, but the Ginger Hitler holds his sword, penetrated through its attack, grabs the key, and delivers a right kick uppercut to its neck, which knocks the clone Puss down.

"Hehe, back for more?" says Puss as he puts the key onto his hat, smirking at his foe. The clone growls angrily and attacks Puss, while Puss defends his vicious attacks.

On the other side, Jose kept firing and destroying many thugs with his arrows, but his arrows were all out and every thug were firing their guns and surround him in a corner.

"Shit!" Jose says as he is in a tight corner, surrounded by three hundred thugs, all of them just transformed into mere copies of Jose himself.

"Hello, Jose," says every clone with the voice of a serial killer, one that made Jose clutched his fists hard with a death stare.

"Who are you, and why do you know my name?" says Jose as he stares at the clone in front of him, as it was laughing so diabolical, so sinister, that it wanted to simply show that this evil withing the clones that he will be Jose's biggest nightmare.

"You will never found out. After I kill you and your friends," it says.

"Then I will hunt you down, and kick your bots to shreds," Jose determinedly as he suddenly released his swords and started shredding the clones to pieces.

Jose was out of this world, using his powers as a sword igniter and destroyed each and every clone on sight. Every back up did little to stop him, while he marches forward, attacking his foes, while making his mark on helping out Kitty, Puss, and Dulcinea.

Dulcinea and Kitty continues to fight their clone selves. The clones managed to created a super beam, with clone Dulcinea's sword, to mimic the powers of Dulcinea.

"Kitty, look out!" Dulcinea yells as Kitty moves out of the way with her tuck and roll, and Dulcinea uses her sword to block their attack and was struggling to block that attack.

"Argh!" Dulcinea grunts in effort as she tries her best, but the evil clones were too powerful for one cat, as powerful as Dulcinea, to handle. But then, Kitty stays by her side and pushes her back and holds her sword with her paws, to help her friend.

"Two are better than one," says a determined, while Dulcinea looks at her and gives her a determine smile and smirk. They turn around and push foward, and the clones were in shock. Then, with a strong push, Kitty and Dulcinea moved their beam super forward and completely destroyed the beam of the clones and the clones screamed as their bodies were burned down and crippled to pieces.

Dulcinea and Kitty sat down and breathe heavily as they were tired after their fight.

"So, still I am worth joining this adventure?" says Kitty, referring to when she decided to join her instead of staying with El Guante Blanco, with a smile on her face.

"You were always was worthy of anything, Kitty. I am very glad you came along, and thank you for helping me," Dulcinea says as she giggles a bit. Kitty smiles and nods towards her friend, thankful for her friend's hospitality. They got up as they ran out of the cave and join their horses to protect them in case enemies comes out of that cave.

Puss in Boots was still battling his clone self as he was defending from its attacks. Then, a clone hits Puss's sword with a strong strike and it made Puss wiggle around because he was on the edge of the cliff and was about to fall.

"Woah!" says Puss as he barely escapes his fall predicament, but the clone uses that as an advantage and slams Puss to the ground with a body slam. Then he locks Puss in a sleeper hold.

Puss was choking in agony as he was struggling to breathe. The clone uses his sword to strike Puss's chest, but Puss grabs the sword and tries to prevent that. The clone applies more pressure to Puss's throat, and Puss was struggling to breathe, and the sword was almost pierce right through his chest. But then, someone fires a gunshot and it hits the clone Puss's head, immediately killing it. Jose comes out as he was who killed the clone, while Puss breathes desperately and was getting up.

"Are you okay, Puss?" says Jose as he looks at his friend.

"Yes. I will be, thanks to you," says Puss as he smiles at him. Then, he takes out the key out off his hat and shows it to Jose, and his friend smiles as he takes out his own key and both friends put it back on.

"Let's go," Jose says as Puss agrees. Both of them run towards the exit to join their lady friends. Jose destroys the entrance of the cave so that anyone doesn't come in or out.

"Puss! Jose! Let's get out of here!" Dulcinea shouts as she and Kitty were already on their horses and were galloping out of there.

"Come, Puss!" Jose excitedly says as he jumps on his horse Rocky, and Puss glares with an adventurous look, and he jumps, doing his spinning-throughout-the-air cartwheel jump.

"Come, Babieca! Hyiah! says Puss as he shouts proudly to his horse and Babieca runs as Puss rides in the great sunrise along with his friends, with one more key left for them to capture as their journey for the Chaos Emeralds continues.


	8. Chapter 8

Jose, Puss in Boots, Dulcinea, and Kitty Softpaws were sitting on a cantina to eat and refill their horses, who were outside eating, energy so that they can reach San Monica. They travelled for four hours after their daring mission in the caves of San Lorenzo was a great success.

"A toast, amigos. For getting our second key," says a cheerful Puss as he grabs his cup of milk as he and his friends grabbed them and touches each other.

"Salud!" Everyone exclaims as they happily drink their milk peacefully. Dulcinea and Puss look into each other's eyes and smiled, while Jose and Kitty laugh out of happiness.

"It was a hard fought battle, but thank goodness we had done it. I'm very glad we accomplish something this awesome," says Kitty as her friends agreed.

"Excuse me, young man and his pets, your fried fish and steak is coming right away," a bald light-skinned dude, with an Italian-like beard, says to Jose as Jose was not amused he called his friends pets.

"Thanks. And they are my "friends" instead of "pets". Get it right next time, buddy," says Jose as he pats the dude's right shoulder as he was surprised by Jose's comments, while Puss, Dulcinea, and Kitty all laughed a little bit.

"Oh my!" he says as he leaves Jose and his friends alone so that he can bring them their well deserved food.

"So, how was the mission?" Jose says in this enthusiastic voice as he was so happy that he was a part of it.

"Hehe, it was fun. I loved the thrill, the emotions, the energy, and the adrenaline of the adventure. And those clone robots we faced was weird, too," says Puss, as Jose felt very strange about his fight. He felt like that voice hunted his thoughs and mind. The bald guy was back with their food, but Jose got off of his chair and left the place, to find some fresh air. Puss, Kitty and Dulcinea looked worried as they were concerned about Jose.

"I'll go," says Dulcinea as she went to look for him, while her friends started eating after they were confident Dulcinea was going to find him. Dulcinea steps outside and sees Jose looking at a mountain.

"Jose, are you okay?" says a concerned Dulcinea as Jose looks at her and smiles at her presence. He then looks over the horizon as his thoughts were on something important during his confrontation with the clones.

"I am feeling okay, Dulcinea. It's just... that fight, it got me thinking," says Jose, with his arms crossed and his face so frown as he was thinking, while Dulcinea stood there and tries to help him understand.

"What are you thinking, my friend?" she asks.

"Is about our battle back at the cave. There was somebody using the clones to talk, and... whoever the heck was, knew my name. I know my parents are dead and that I killed the "killer", but what if I attacked a common henchmen? What if he was just taking orders from someone, and he was lying about killing my parents," he says while his mind was twisted with so many theories.

"What are you saying Jose, that there is someone in a higher power, more threatening than all the enemies we've faced in this journey?" Dulcinea replies as she was very concerned about Jose's hunch.

"I think there's a chance we may have stepped in some sort of struggle, and if anything is true, we walked right in the middle of it ever since that stranger gave me that envelope," Jose says as he somewhat got some pieces together in this deadly puzzle. Dulcinea though of those interesting takes Jose made and she, too, had a feeling about something like this.

"Yeah, you might be right. But, we faced worse situations before. And so what if this new threat is the biggest and baddest thing ever, I know ,with all my heart, that Puss, Kitty, you and I, will stop this threat and save the world again. Well, our world this time, because we only saved dimensions, except the time we beat Thanos, hehe," Dulcinea says it with such positivity and optimism as she giggles a bit. Jose smiles at her as he lifts her up and gives a huge hug.

"Thanks, Dulcinea. You will always be ready to shine our hearts whenever we feel worry," says Jose as he puts her back to the ground, with both friends giving each other smiles of appreciation.

"What do you expect? I have to be at my very best to take care of you, bestie," says Dulcinea as she was giggling and Jose laughs at her words.

"Yeah, you're right. Let's go back and eat our food before it gets cold. We don't want our friends to wait, now do we," says Jose as Dulcinea agrees.

"Yeah. Let's go," Dulcinea says as she waves her left paw and walks straight back inside. Jose smiles and he follows her. Then, they reunite with Kitty Softpaws and Puss in Boots as they sat down on the chairs and sets them towards the table.

"Hola, Jose and Dulcinea. How are you feeling now, amigos?" says Puss as he look at JoseJose. Jose smiles at his friend as he was very happy he feels better now.

"Never better, Puss," says Jose as Puss laughs in pride because he's very glad Jose is back to his senses. Then, Jose started eating his food while Dulcinea does the same.

Kittu, Puss, Jose, and Dulcinea enjoyed a great time together, eating their stuff, talking about their adventure, saying some jokes, and often talking to each other to help understand their feelings and how to get better in life. They stayed in the cantina for three hours as they finally finished and went outside. Babieca, Sweetness, and Rocky, along with Kitty's horse, were galloping happily as they see their owners sitting on top of them, ready to continue on their journey to the town of San Monica.

"Everyone ready to go?" says Jose.

"Yes, Jose," says an excited Kitty as she slowly walks with her horse on his left side.

"Always," says a determined Dulcinea as she rides Sweetness a few steps on Kitty's side, while Puss slowly takes a few steps with Babieca on Jose's right side.

"Hehe. I am all ready. Lead us to San Monica, Jose!" says a prideful Puss as he was ready, the same cacan be said with Kitty and Dulcinea. Jose smirks as he shouts very loud and proud:

"Let's go!"... and off they ride again, once again resuming their adventure to San Monica, so that they can obtain the last of the three keys needed to unlock the Chaos Emeralds.

But, two unknown outsiders were watching them from the inside, as one female, with a very black and grey general armor, makes a phone call while the male, with black pants, black leather jacket, and a small beard just snarls like an uncontrollable beast waiting for its next kill, was waiting on his partner.

"Boss. It's me," she says as she calls her boss.

"Oh, my dear ace in the hole. Tell me about your search and have you found success."

"The search is getting progress. The beast has been very reliable tracking them down, and they are going to Santa Monica, were they are in for a surprise. Guess what, they called it San Monica. How stupid and dumb they are."

"Ahahaha! Good. Follow them, right to their doom. I will have help on your way as they will be ready to strike them down. TheirTheir predictably will cost them dearly."

"Thanks, Boss. But... there is something odd about this boy. Jose has a clear goal about the Chaos Emeralds, buy never says his ambitions once he get those, which he won't. But there is something else, my lord. I sense that his power levels are off the charts. I've never felt power like this since-"since-"

"Since the old man. I see. In that case, tell our masterpiece creation to keep tracking him and his friends, and bring him to me. Alive, along with his friends. I have something planned for him, hehe."

"Okay, sir. We will proceed with plans as scheduled. We won't fail you, Master."

"I know you will. You and Weapon24."

"Thanks. We will see you after the subjects are captured."

The two mysterious folks sat on their brown horses and started riding their way to Santa Monica after they finished their conversation with their Boss.

Somewhere in a far away place, far away from Jose's team as well as his, the boss chuckles devilishly as he outs his hands below his face and smiles so villainy.

The game, his game, was only beginning, and there was no one in the world that can stand in his way. The madman says with such menacing words as the rain and ligrhing skies takes over:

"You will. Rival Argentica."


	9. Chapter 9

In the afternoon of a long journey, Jose, Puss in Boots, Dulcinea, and Kitty Softpaws arrived to San Monica as they see a small town full of people.

"Look, Puss. We're here!" says Dulcinea as she was very excited to arrive here.

"Yes, we are. Let us go see and look for something that can help us get to the cave and find the last key to these Chaos Emeralds tressure," says Puss as the rest of the teeam nods with an adventurous smile as they took their horse and ride them for a while. For a while, everyone was looking around to San Monica and see the beautiful sight of the town, but they seemed worried about something. Whenever the heroes see the villagers, they see afraid looks, fear into their eyes, hearts, and souls.

"I sense something is wrong around here, guys," says Jose as he was very concerned with them.

"You're right," says Kitty as she and her team went in and asked someone, a black hoodie male at around his thirties with a map for directions.

"Excuse me, sir, can you tell us where the cave..." says Kitty politely before the male screams in fear and cuts off her words, runs away as he threw the map away like a scarycat.

"What a creep. Cutting you off like that," says Jose as he was not amusee by how the dude interrupted Kitty. Then, he grabs the map and looks around at the directions, and he found the location of the cave.

"Here it is!" he says.

"Hold on, Jose," says Puss as he saw something weird. He lookee on top of the map, and saw the name of the town.

"Hahahahahahaha!" he burst off laughing as Kitty and Dulcinea looked at the joke and they laugh as well.

"Puss, Kitty, Dulcinea. Why are you laughing?" Jose says as he was so confused

"It's Santa Monica, not San Monica," says Puss as he continues to laugh along with his friends. Jose lookee at the map, and he was so wrong, because he got the name of the town so wrong from the start.

"Oooh! Hahahahahahahaha!" Jose laughs too, clearly was in total agreement that he made a mistake, which everyone soon after smiles upon each other.

"Let's go!" says Jose as the rest of his friends nods and ride with their horses, Babieca, Rocky, Sweetness, and Kitty's horse, to the cave of Santa Monica. The team traveled peacefully for two hours. Then, in five o'clock in the afternoon with the sun rising down, the team made it to the cave of Santa Monica.

"Finally, we're here!" says an excited Jose as he got off Rocky and was running towards inside.

"Jose, wait up!" says Dulcinea as she giggles and rapidly gets off Sweetness and followed him. Puss and Kitty laughs for a while as they were happy seeing his friend playing for a while. Kitty then looks at Puss and see this smile, a smile of happiness, something she never saw from him since his San Ricardo days for the short time she was with him. Is almost like Puss feels like home whenever he's with his two best friends in the whole world.

"Hehe, you always seem to be happy when they're around you," says Kitty, acknowledging Puss as she got off of her horse and walked inside the cave. Puss gott off of Babieca and he stood there for a moment looking at Kitty, Dulcinea, and Jose, and he was happy and his heart never felt this much upbeat and smiley before.

"Yep. They sure are," says a smiling Puss as he follows his friends towards the cave.

Jose, Dulcinea, Kitty, and Puss were slowly marching inside the cave, this time brighter than the previous caves and sorta temples they've been on this journey, and they were slowly but surely prepared for any kinds of danger.

"Jose, how much closer are we to the next key?" says Puss as Jose senses the location of the treasure.

"We should be close," he says as his friends were confident that their adventure is nearly completing. Then, six minutes later, they stumbled upon an old temple and they saw a treasure chest.

"Look, everybody!" says Dulcinea as she points the chest to her friends, who were in awe by looking straight at it.

"Huzzah!" Puss saysbit pridely as he runs to the chest.

"Puss!" Jose laughs as he runs to follow his friend. Kitty and Dulcinea look into each other and laughs it off as they were happy for theor friends and they run to the chest, too. The team arriver there and were so excited, that they wanted to jump so emotionally happy about their teamwork in this amazing journey that they are together.

"Care to do the honors, Gato con Botas?" says Jose as he offers Puss to open the chest. Puss smiles and gives Jose a nodly smirk.

"Com mucho gusto, Jose," says Puss as he steps foward. Jose, Kitty, and Dulcinea all looked as they await for Puss in Boots to open the crate and reveal the third key for their Chaos Emerald treasure can come to an end do they can move on and find it.

"Here goes nothing," says Puss as he breathes and blows his paws and shakes it so he can cool of hi nervousness of excitement. Then, everyone look at Puss as he slowly opens the treasure chest. Once the chest was open. Everyone gasps in shock as they see an unspeakable and unbelievable truth...

"It's empty?!?!" everyone says it in total shock.

"I... I don't understand. The third key was supposed to be here. There's no way it isn't," says Jose as he felt very disappointed in himself.

"Is okay, Jose. I'm sure someome must had got it before we did. I just hope it wasn't found by the wrong people," says Kitty as she puts her paw on his right leg, sobbing his pants, to calm him. Jose looks at her and he smiles a little bit.

"She's right. We must keep lookong for it," Dulcinea says as she smiles, while her friends nods in agreement. They slowly walker towards the exit, but Dulcinea suddenly felt something wrong, as sje looks down and sees some claw marks.

"What's this?" she says in a mysterious tone as she bends down and takes a closer look at those marks. As she was analyzing those matks, she has never seen such a strong, long, and powerful mark as thoae claws. She then started to sense its source, and she could feel the horror, the nightmares, the power, the rage, and a dark presence within those claws, and she wws terrified for what she just sensed. Then, she quickly turns her head around and sees her friends seeing her because they saw her fearful and sad mood.

"Dulcinea. What is it?" says Puss as he bends down and holds onto her left shoulder, giving her someome to comfort. But Dulcinea then realized something. The easy map towards this cave, their failure of reaching the treasure on time, the mysterious and sudden claw mark insode this temple. It all made sense for some reason. Then, she gasps in shock as she realizes something as Jose was slowly taking a few step backs, unaware of a sudden X mark was behind him.

"Jose, no! It's a trap!" Dulcinea yells at him as Jose looks at her confused but it was top late because he already touched the X mark.

"Ahhhh!" Jose screams in a sudden pain as some electricty shockwaves beneath the ground hits him hard and falls unconscious.

"Girls, behind me!" says an deeperate Puss as he, Kitty, and Dulcinea got on their backs and took out their swords with their determined growls, ready to defend themselves against some unknown enemies. But then, an arrow struck on Kitty's chest as Softpaws was screaming in pain by that shot of the arrow, like a sniper, as the arrow carrier a poison and Kitty was slowly closing her eyes.

"Kitty!" Puss and Dulcinea yelled in concerned voices as they see Kitty dropping her sword and falls to the ground in defeat. But just as they slowly went to check on her, suddenly a beast with enormous claws, the same claws that were marked below the ground, ran as fat as a cheetah and slashed the paws of Puss and Dulcinea, quickly disarming their weapins, and a black hoodie figure, revealing the General known as Genaral Rival, quickly fired her arrow below them and firer a huge bright light. Puss and Dulcinea groaned in pain as the light got to their eyes and closed them, leaving for Rival and her beast, who was the createe beast known as Weapon24, deliver thunderous punches to their jaws and quickly knocked them out cold.

"Nice work," says Rival as she pleases her partner for their work, but the beast snarls as he didn't said a word, like a mindless monster.

"Boss, we found them," she says, informing her boss about what just happened.

"Good. Were they known about the plan?" he says.

"Ha! They didn't suspected a damn thing, my lord," Rival says with a huge laugh as she takes out the third key from her jacket pocket, clearly in possession of it for a while, it was a set up from the start to capture Jose and his friends.

"Splendid. Now bring them to me," says the Boss with a small chuckle as he cuts off communications with General Rival.

"Understood. You, carry them and lock them up. Time for our leader to see this boy and his stupid friends!" says General Rival as Weapon24 juat breaths heavily like some brute and carries the defeated heroes with such strength. Then, they took them outside the cave anr locked them up in cages, as Rival and 24 ride off on theor horses and commence their march towards their fortress.

Five hours later: Everything was pitch black. No sounds. No environments. No nothing.

"Jose!" then, a voice disrupts the darkness as the eyes of Jose slowly opened and once it fully opened, he could see the two attackers that captured them, Dulcinea, Puss, and Kitty locked in chains, so does he as he was confused.

"Good, you're finally awake," says a sinisterly voice who was sitting on a chair of a desk, right in between Rival Argentica and Weapon24, and puts up a diabolical chuckle.

"And who the fuck are you?!" says an angered Jose who wants the villain to reveal himself and not hide behind the chair, even though he can see the sinister villain, despite the three cats moans in embarrassment because Jose said a cursed word. Then, in a sudden turn, the black suited man gets off of his chair and gets up, and slowly walks towards Jose while Dulcinea ane friends watched as they grolw at the dude. The villain bends his knees and touches Jose's chin while Jose looks serious at this guy.

"Oh, Jose. You have your father's brown hassle eyes, with a bit of green and blue too," says the evil man as Jose was angry and shock at the same time.

"What do you know about my father, you prick?" he says while Puss, Kitty, and Dulcinea were concerned for Jose.

"There are some things you do not understand yet," he says as the boss moves his head slowly, telling General Rival, aka Agent Cattydude, and his creation Weapon24supersoldier, and they forced the captive heroes up from behind and also forced them to walk in order to follow their leader.

"Who are you and what do you want with us?!" says Puss in Boots in an angered voice and stare as he looks straight at the menacing villain, while the beast hits Puss with a strong knee on his back and Puss groans in pain, while his friends wantee to help him but couldn't because Rival had her arrows ready to fire at them, so they continue to follow the leader, while Puss gets up and follows them.

"Well, kitty cat, my name is Johnny, but you can call me the Reaper of Death, and I have been around here for a long time. What I want from you people is nothing more than to entertain us," Johnny says with a smirk on his face.

"We will never do your bitting, you monster!" Dulcinea shouts as she doesn't want her or her friends to be slaves of his enjoyment. The beast wanted to claw her hard as he releases his claws, but Johnny tells him not to do it, and the beast obeys him.

"Oh, goody two-shoes, you will do what I say. Whether you like it or not. Because your lives, and this whole Cinderella story about the Chaos Emeralds of yours will die by my hand," says Johnny as everyone made their way to the weaponry room. There, everyone saw the army prepping their weapons, testing them, and inventing them.

"I have built this army from rescuing everyone. From orphans, endangered guys, slaves, poor, and all kinds of bad situations these soldiers have been through before I gave them a new home. Including Weapon24, my greatest creation," Johnny says as the heroes clearly doesn't believe in that fat lie. Then, they reached the Arena, where there was a squared-circle ring with three red ropes on all four sides, North through West like order, along with four turnbuckles, two steel steps outside the ring, and millions of fans, mostly his soldiers, enjoying a wrestling match.

"You see here? That's the reward for serving a savior like me. Enjoyment, life, dreams beyond our wildest imaginations. A guy like me wants what's best for the world. And this Chaos Emeralds, is the key. I have been searching for it for many years, me and Edwin did," says Johnny as Jose was surprised by this. His family never told him about this in any lifetime.

"You mean killing their families and kidnap your so call "soldiers"... And my father would never help a bitch like you!" Jose says angrily, denying this false claims, while Johhny simply smirks it off, ready to tell a story to Jose and his friends.

"Ah Jose, you never knew your daddy like I did. You see, Jose, you father started our adventure for that treasure for years, but we only found one key, the one that you guys so eagerly wanted to grab and was so perfectly usee to spring our trap and capture you four insignificant imbeciles. Anyway, one day we have discovered the remaining two locations of the keys, which we did stole from you. Is okay, we did mere copies, we got the keys back to you since those will be useless once we open the gates and reveal the last location of the Chaos Emeralds. But your father, Jose, felt jealous because we, no... I was about to save everyone from future dangers to our world. And he burned our fortress down, taking the maps with him. He betrayed my soul, my heart, my trust. Six years later we found him, with his new girl and a young you, and we killed them all. Well, that is until I've found out you were alive," says Johnny with such depth, brutal honesty, and look deep into his dark past, as Jose was more angry than ever.

"My father... would never be your slave! And even if he did, I'm sure in my heart that you are a monster and he deetroyed this fortress because the world would be in danger from liars from you!" He says with such passion.

"Watch your mouth, bitch boy!" says Rival as she takee out her sword and puts it close to his neck.

"Now Nina, relax," says a calmly Johnny as Rival breathes and slowly relaxed herself, letting go of her sword on Jose's neck.

"Ah, Jose. You will soon realize that you will die soon, just like your father. Because you share his stubbornness and stupid brain and heart. And your friends will die too... well, one of them, by your hand," says Johhny as he and his most trusty henchmen were chuckling so villainously, while Jose, Puss, Kitty, and Dulcinea were so confused and mad at the same time.

"What do you mean by that, devil?" says Kitty with a soft but deadly snarl on Johnny.

"Well, Kitty was it? Hear me out. Like your orange ginger friend asked me before, what I want from you guys is nothing more or less than entertain us. Every day, we make one wrestling match, but as you see, we are bored from the same and repetitive matches. We want something new. Is simple, a one on one match, with DQs, no count outs, and you can win by pinfall and submission..." He says as he slowly circled around his captured enemies and smackee hard the butts of Kitty Sotpaws and Dulcinea, which Puss in Boots and Jose were mad at it but the beast and Rival put their weapons on them like a warning in case they did anything stupid.

"And every time we do this, whoever wins deserves a chance to be free from our work and life theit own lives. But the losers, well... they get demoted and sent to the Krypt for torture. Is a well win deal for both sides. And Jose, you will be our referee for this match between... Two of your cats."

"What!!!!" The four heroes shouts in anger as Johnny wants to force them to fight.

"This is an outrage!" says an angry Puss.

"Okay, okay, how about this? Whoever wins, gets the keys, and the map to the Chaos Emerald's location you guys had, three of you's freedom, and nothing else," says Johnny as Kitty, Jose, and Puss were mixed. They wanted those things, but risking themselves wasn't part of the plan.

"I will do it!" says the brave Dulcinra as everyone was shocked and surprised.

"Dulcinea, no!" says Jose as he didn't wanted yo be the one that puts Dulcinea, or anyone of his friends, to torture if she loses this match.

"Dulcinea, I will not allow you to compete in this trap!" says Puss, being overprotective on his best friend, while Dulcinea grumpa herself.

"Listen, you three. We need the map and the keys to find the Chaos Emeralds. And whether I lose or not, I want to be a part of that team that does whatever ot takes to achieve this goal of ours. So you won't make me change my mind, not ever. So I will be in this fight, Mister Johnny. But know this. If I win, and you hurt my friends, I will come after you, and everyone who stands in the way of my family, and I will beat the Beyond out of you!" says Dulcinea with such passion, such determination, that her friends were silent without responding to her words, accepting the fact that she will fight no matter what. Johnny smiles as he was pleased by this.

"Splendid, little cat. You see, Jose. That's why women will always have the balls to do what needs to be done. Just like your father wasn't able to. By the way, whoever facee her, make up your minds until midnight. We don't want our fans to be angry at out Main Event. Ciao," says a smiley, villainy Johnny as he leaves the place, alongside Rival, while Weapon24 took Jose, Puss in Boots, Dulcinea. and Kitty Softpaws to seperate places, so that they can prepare themselves for the fight that is about to come. Meanwhile, in the jail side of the fortress, Rival checks her watch and hears some news from her soldiers.

"Sir, our guys came in. They say they are thirty-one clicks from reaching El Guante Blanco's hiding place," she says as Johnny was pleased.

"Amazing, Agent Cattydude. Tell them that when they do, kill him. No matter that cost," he says it with such firmly tone, with his hands behind his back, while Rival salutes him as she gave her soldiers the order.

"Nina, I want you to keep our eye on Jose. Try to intimidate him while our match is set," says Johnny with every intention to deetroy Jose's mind and soul.

"It will be done, my lord," says General Rival Argentica as she agrees to his order.

"What will you do now, Sire," says Rival as Johhny chuckles a little while he went to his elevator, pressed a button so he can get back to his office.

"Wait," he says, in a cold, soft, and sinister way, like a Mad Titan. The elevator closes as Rival sees Johnny ascends to his office. Rival slowly walked to make her way to where Jose was headed and do her King's commands.

The heroes faces a tough situation, as the forces of evil are forcing the freedom and capture of one of the next three, Puss in Boots, Kitty Softpaws, and Dulcinea. The fate of the world may lie upon this fight, but to whoever loses it, it may lead them to an unfortunate fate to their lives, and the one that holds their destiny is their best friend, Jose Angel Arroyo Rivera.


	10. Chapter 10

At a locker room, Jose sits on a bleacher, with his hear down and hands on top of his forehead. He was going to a mental breakthrough from all the drama Johnny just put him through. From telling him about his past between Johnny and Edwin, his father, to forcing him to referee a wrestling between Dulcinea and either Puss in Boots or Kitty Softpaws.

"God, what will I do?" he says, trying to find some kind of answer to his problems. His heart was pounding slowly with every bit of emotions, like it won't stop until he sends one of his friends to total torture in that dreaded Krypt. Jose didn't wanted this. Not at all.

"What's wrong, chicken? Afraid you don't have the balls to be the ref?" Then, General Rival Argentica came from the door with those evil words and chuckles, while Jose turns his attention towards her.

"Nah. Least is I ain't no servant of someone you really want to kill," says Jose with a smirk, clearly trying to hinder something at Rival, which it didn't like her at all.

"How dare you mock my loyalty, you son of a b-," says an angry Rival, but Jose puts his right finger up, interrupting her in the process.

"Ah, Ah, ah. No cursing, there is kids reading," he says.

"And, one thing I noticed about you, is that you always on his side, too close to be intact. And I always sense and feel in your heart this assassin's mentality in you. I'm starting to think you're nothing more than a spy working for somebody else," Jose says, whoch frove Rival's head mad.

"What makes you think I'm against my boss, my King. The one that actually cares for me when my parents die from an accident, an act of war, when all they ever did was getting me away from such war between the government and the rebellions Mom and Dad were. You know nothing!" she says as she yells with such anger towards Jose for him mentioning her boss and challenging her loyalty towards him. But deep down in her heart, he had a point.

"Then why someone as fierce as you would place its loyalty to a someone who is known to be a cold blooded killer? I know him. He killed my family, took them away from me, and my partners along the way because of my thirst for vengeance against his clan. But if you want to follow a false leader, fine. Just stay the fuck out of my way and let me do my job as referee," said Jose as he was walking out of a stunned Rival. She was struggling with her thoughts, about what her purpose in life was, and lost importantly her place as a General.

"Jose, wait!" she says, pleading him to stop as she grabs his left arm. Jose moans in such an uninterested fashion, but he took upon his heart and gave the indecisive Rival a chance to talk.

"You're right. But I'm not working for someone else. You see, three months ago, I've learned that my boss was obsessed with the Chaos Emeralds, it drove him mad. He killed soldiers who failed his vision of his goals. We all did his best to pleased him, but with no success. Then, one night, I snuck on his desk, and saw his secret room. I got suspicious and I went in, and I saw him with two more associates. And he was beyond angry, he had this addiction. About building and creating a weapon. A machine who can follow his every order. An unstoppable monster... one that Johnny kidnapped from his dead parents he purposely killed," Rival says as she puts her head down in lament. Jose couldn't believe all this information he just got.

"No way! So you're saying Weapon24, was actually a normal kid?" he says.

"Yes. Daniel J. Hawkins Mahler is a fifteen-year old kid and he is the only survived subject out of a total three thousand subjects of a project called WeaponXXIV. An advance weapon with claws, great senses, killer instincts, no soul nor mind to call him a human, and someone that is virtually unkillable. My boss kidnapped other kids for his plan to work, but all failee except him. Once he was complete, Johnny rapidly made others to him, killing anyone on sight, all for those Emeralds. That's why he never discovered my intentions, because he would never suspect his trusted general would kill him when he hold those hands on the Chaos Emeralds," Rival explains. Jose was trying to analyze everything she said, while also being very angry at Johnny's work throughout the years.

"So, Johnny did all of this for some myth treasure? Well, I guess I will kill him now," said Jose as he wanted to leave, but Rival grabbed him by his waist. Jose was suddenly stunned by Rival's sudden gesture, as if she har some hidden feelings for him by the way she was slowly sliding his torso and hher eyee were straight to his face.

"Jose. Don't do this. I know men like you. The type of man that is tired of fighting, tired of the many blood in your hands you have to suffer so many times. Come with me, join us. We can kill Johnny in the secret location of the Chaos Emeralds, control the beast, and the world will be ours. Just leave those weak friends for dead, and we can have all the sex in the world. Many were trying to win me, but none of them were capable bof such life. Just, relax and enjoy life, Jose. Becauae you will never get another one again," said Rival as she manages to slide her fingers onto Jose's belt. Jose, who didn't wanted to sold out his friends, pushes her out of the way as he coughs for a moment. He felt some love for the first time, but he wouldn't trade away his friends for anything.

"I'm sorry, General Rival. I want this, you know the treasure, revenge, and all the love in the world. But I can't do what you ask," says Jose, displaying his loyalty.

"Can't? Or won't?" says a grumpy Rival, with her arms crossed. She was not pleased by Jose's decision to be a friend first boyfriend later.

"Same thing," he says with a smirk as he ties up his shoes. He got up, finishes tying up his black shoes, completes his referee suit up and was finally walking outside the door, ready to officiate the wrestling match.

"Jose!" says Rival. She felt really very desperate, she really felt some feelings for him, but she knew Jose is a different type of man, and her tactics, the general ones, weren't winning.

"What, Nina, is it?" he says as he hold his right hand on the door, ready to close it tight and leave the locker for good.

"I know my past is a dark and unconvencable one, if such word exists, hehe. But can you comsider me as a friend? At least, please?" she saus with a bit of a forgiving look in her eyes. Jose couldn't stop but sense her mourning and sorrowful heart and how he felt her pain towards her lost loved one, same as how he lost his loved ones by Johnny.

"I guess we will soon find out, General Cattydue," he says, with a bit of a soft smile, as he closes the door and heads for the ring, were millions of fans were roaring with cheers waiting for the fight to begin. Rival sits down on the bleacher as she was breathing heavily, trying to dial in her conversation with him and his words. It felt like Heaven was speaking to her in the form of this... this young man. Nina then gets up from the bleacher and put on her tough look as she exits the locker toom and heads to get into the VIP room, where the boss and Weapon24 will swe the fight from perhaps the best view in the whole ring.

Meanwhile, in the ring, Dulcinea was streching her arms, legs, body, doing push-ups, jumping jacks, resulting in some bones cracks and clear relaxation for her fight against either Puss in Boots, her husband and best friend, or Kitty Softpaws, one of her closest friends. Then, she seee Jose entering the ring.

"Jose!" she says in her high spiritedly voice as she smilee for the arrival of Jose. But Jose was guilty, for all of this, and he didn't wanted to say a word as he had his head down, trying to not think about it and wanting to get it over with. Dulcinea puts her right paw on his right leg.

"What is it, Dulcinea?" he says, and he was suddenly impacted by her sweet assuring look in her eyes, like she wants him to be sure that she's okay with this.

"Jose. Is okay. I will be fine and whether I win or lose, just promise that you will do your best as the official and don't, for any reason at all, do anything to save one. I want to fight fair, please?" she says as she doesn't want to let Jose cheat just to save her because she wants to earn her victory. Jose shuts down his bad and undetermined mood and switched it up to an happy and positive look.

"Okay, Dulcinea," he says as he and Dulcinea share a smile. All that's left now is the opponent of Dulcinea, and this nightmare could start making its undying ending.

In the backstage area, Puss and Kitty, who was sitting down on a chair, thinking about the match against Dulcinea. Puss put his hat tight with a straight face, as if he made a decision without consulting it to Kitty at all.

"What are you doing, Puss?" says Kitty as she got up from the chair and stops Puss before he could move ahead.

"What does it look like I am doing, Kitty? I will head to the ring and face Dulcinea," says Puss. Kitty wasn't very pleased about it, mainly because she wanted to face her.

"But Puss. There isn't much time. I will face her," she says, trying to convince Puss to withdraw his challenge and let her face Dulcinea instead.

"No!" Puss says it in a tough voice, not wanting Kitty to face his wife.

"But Puss!" says Kitty, begging Puss to listen to her.

"No, Kitty! I will not let you face her. I cannot allow you to get hurt like they did to my maestro," says Puss in a soft tone. he wants to protect Kitty and prevent her getting hurt, like El Guante Blanco was.

"But if you win, you will hurt Dulcinea!" Kitty yells. Puss puts his head down, realizing the dangers and torture he and Dulcinea would have to face if they face. But his noble heart thought if Kitty was away from that inevitable faith, he will be satisfied for at least keeping his master's words.

"At least... At least I can keep the words of my maestro and protect you, no matter who wins," says Puss as he has his fists clinching while staring into Kitty's eyes. He could see she was pretty upset about his answer, and he knew she really wanted to face her. But Puss knew his choice would be a tough one to swallow. So Puss puts his roght paw to Kitty's left shoulder.

"Kitty. I know you really want to do this, but I have to keep you away from danger. I know you are a strong woman, but I cannot be responsible if something ever happens to you. I want you to promise me, whether I win or not, promise me that you will help my friends and stop Johnny. Can you do that for me? For our maestro?" saye Puss in a soft voice. Kitty puts her head down and groans in a heavy disappointment. She really did not wanted to have Puss and Dulcinea harm each other.

"Puss..." a very sad Kitty says as she was starting to drop a few tears, while Puss uses his paw to touch Kitty's cheeks. Later, Puss smiles and takes out some of Kitty's tears off. Kitty smiles for a bit, but her worries and fears still was locked deep within her heart.

"Please?" says a caring Puss. Kitty sights, as she has no choice.

"Okay, Puss," she says with such lament. Puss grabs a microphone and looks at Kitty.

"Thank you," he says as he was leaving towards the arena.

"Puss?" she says in a hurry tone. Puss turns around and before he could say a word, Kitty jumps him and gives him a hug.

"Be careful out there. Despite I love Dulcinea a lot, I want you to win," Kitty says as she gives a warming hug to Puss, who gladly hugs her tight.

"Hehe. Thanks, Kitty. I will do my best to win this wrestling battle," says Puss with a charming tone, enough to assure Kitty some sorts of calm around herself. Moments later, they let go of themselves and Puss returns to make his march towards the ring. Kitty shrugs herself like a warm blanket in a worry and pensive way, like she wishes she would had done something more. Like risking her life to save Puss, so thay she doesn't have to have in her conscience the bad facts that El Guante Blanco, her uncle, and her former lover and current friend Puss in Boots, were hurt and tortured by Johnny and his army.

A nervous Puss slowly steps foot to the arena, were the loud roars of the fans were bothering his ears, the bright lights were blocking his sight. He was feeling nervous, like the pressure is taking over his body. Then, he sees Dulcinea and Jose, ready to see if Puss will be the one to face Dulcinea. Puss's heart was beating hard and fast. Puss knew he had a big problem and he does not want to fight Dulcinea. But he needee to to what it was necessary to save the world.

"Here we go, Puss," he talks to himself as he takes a deep breath and and returns to make his mark to the ring, despite the pressure and many more distractions trying to take out his focus and determination to do this. Puss then stops, nearly about to enter the ring, and stares to Dulcinea. He was ready, ready to say the words so that the world, the entire world, can be aware of his intentions of fighting the White Tulpa once and for all...

"Well, I guess that's we wanted, huh? Dulcinea says, thinking that it will be Puss who will face her and looking back on that challenge Puss and herself made to each other when Puss and Jose helped her in rehabilitate her injuries from their adventure in Zootopia. Puss looks at her serious, and releases his voice and was ready to put the speculations to an end.

"Dulcinea, The White Tulpa, I'll be your challenger!"...


	11. Chapter 11

The crowd was shocked. Dulcinea was shocked. Jose was shocked. But none of them was more shocked than Puss, as he looks at his right paw and he suddenly didn't had the microphone. He then started to remember some old tracks, and it hit him. He slowly turns around and, to his stunning eyes, he sees a determined and fired up Kitty Softpaws and she was holding a microphone, the same one Puss had just moments ago.

"Shoot!" he shouts in an surprising tone, because he knows now that the hug Kitty gave him was a distraction for her to use her soft paws to snatch away the mic off of him. Kitty was slowly making her way to the ring, with eagerness and thirst for a fight in her heart as she takes the steps. She grabs the pole of a ring post and stops for a moment as she looks at Puss. Puss was still shocked that Kitty pulled off something like this.

"Kitty, why? Why did you do this?" he says, in a bit of a soft and tone, knowing he would lose her or Dulcinea in this wrestling match. Kitty didn't cared whether she won or lost. What she cared was Puss was safe from all possible harm.

"Because I will not let my friend be tortured and punished like my uncle. I couldn't do ananything to help him. This time, I have that chance," says Kitty. Puss was gasping in surprise as he can feel and understand why she's doing this. Puss then breathes softly, and accepts the fate of Kitty.

"Kitty, I cannot stop you now. So, yes... you can face her," he says as Kitty smiles from Puss's well-awaited approval.

"Thanks," she says as she slowly enters the ring, while Puss slowly left the area so he can seat outside on a chair. He then takes off his hat and grabs a picture of Felina, just to say some hope for both Dulcinea and KiKitty Softpaws.

"Felina, protect Dulcinea and Kitty," says Puss with such deep respect and love for the two cats that were and are a big important people in Puss's life. He later puts his hat back on and started clapping and cheering for his friends.

In the ring, Dulcinea and Kitty slowly make their way towards the middle of the ring, where Jose was in between them.

"Okay, Kitty Softpaws, Dulcinea. This is a one-on-one singles match set for one fall. Rules are simple. You win by pinfall, submission, or being the last cat standing. No figthing dirty, or you'll be disqualified. I will ask if you can continue fighting if you get hurt bad, and be ready if you two pass out. If you don't respond by the three count, I will call the match off and award the winner. Any questions?" said Jose as he was telling them the rules of this anticipated match between Kitty and Dulcinea.

"No. I'm good here," says Kitty, clutching her fists and slowly growls at Dulcinea. Dulcinea gasps as she was suddenly taken by surprise by Kitty's sudden turn to a serious fighter, giving the impression that Kitty will not be playing around and that she means business.

"Dulcinea?" says Jose. Then, Dulcinea just smirks and puts her fists up, with her Tulpa armor on and slowly growls as well, showing Kitty that she, too, won't back down.

"Ready as I'll ever be, Kitty Softpaws," she determinedly says. Jose slowly steps aside, awere that those two talented skilled cats are ready.

"Ring the bell," he says as the ringer rings the bell, and Dulcinea vs Kitty Softpaws has officially begun.

Kitty and Dulcinea locked each other's arms and grunts in effort to get an advantage. Both of them would not let each other get an edge. Then, Kitty started to hit Dulcinea with numerous knee shots to her chest. Dulcinea grunts in a little bit of pain, but she usee her left knee to defend against Kitty's attacks, which proves to be affected as Dulcinea successfully defends herself and struck some knee shots of her own to Kitty, who felt every bit of that. Then, Dulcinea quickly moves around and grab onto Kitty's right arm and twists it.

"Argh!" Kitty screams a bit as she could her bones been slowly hurting through her body with each twist made by her opponent. Then, Kitty rolls down two times, followed by a jumping get up thanks to her flexible body, and successfully got control of her arm again while grabbing Dulcinea's paws. She uses that to do a takedown and slams a surprised Dulcinea to the ground. Dulcinea groans in pain, while Kitty grabs her right arm and slowly puts it behind her back, bending it in the process.

"Ah!" Dulcinea screams in pain as Kitty bends it harder.

"Do you give up, Dulcinea?" Jose says as he gets down and asks a painful Dulcinea.

"N... no," she says, refusing to give up, while Kitty bends her arm harder. Then, Dulcinea slowly gets up, letting Kitty get up as well. Once she did, she delivers a back kick to Kitty's gut. Kitty grunts in pain but still maintains her hold. But Dulcinea quickly got a bit of room on her arm and uses her reflexes to throw Kitty up. Kitty lands on her feet, only for Dulcinea to still have Kitty's paw and now she's behind her, leaving for Dulcinea to slam her paw and brought her body to the ground hard, later she uses Kitty's paw to lift her up from the mat and grabs her body. She uses her speed and power to bring Kitty to the corner hard, hurting her back.

"Ahh!" Kitty screams as the steel corner were screaming the pain inside her body, while Dulcinea uses her right chest, neck, and shoulder area to swing her body and slam Kitty's chest. She does it three more times, while Kitty cries out in pain. Later, Dulcinea puts her right foot and chokes her friend's neck, leaving a desperately hurt and slightly broken Kitty to gasp for air as she was struggling to breathe.

"Okay, Dulcinea, let go. one, two, three..." Jose says as he warns Dulcinea about the rules, since Kitty is basically using the ropes, which allows the ref to let the fighters known they have till the count of five to let go of them or they will lose via DQ. Dulcinea, well awared of the rules, lets Kitty off, while Kitty coughs as she was down on the mat and holding her throat after sustaining that attack from Dulcinea. Dulcinea walks towards Kitty and grabs her head as she triee to get her up. Once she did, she hooks her arms up and went for a suplex, but Kitty uses her own cat abilities to lamd on her feet, successfully avoiding more damage.

"What the...!" Dulcinea was shocked as she was frozen, leaving for Kitty to deliver a massive kick to her chest that landed her to the corner. Dulcinea grunts in pain, but Kitty wasted no time and went on to deliver left and right punches to the head, kicks to the mid area, and some clotheslines to her neck. Dulcinea was coughing, groaning, and screaming in a world of pain. Then, Kitty kicks her left knee, forcing Dulcinea to get down on one leg by that attack, and uses her right leg to choke Dulcinea.

"Arghhhh!" Dulcinea groans as she was finding a harr time to breathe now that Kitty has gotten control on this fight.

"Okay, break it up, Softpaws. One, two...," says Jose as he started the countdown, but Kitty quickly wasted no time and lets go of a poor Dulcinea who falls to the mat after being punished by Kitty's counterattacks. Kitty then gets down, puts her right knee in Dulcinea's back, and grabs her hear in order to choke her in a headlock position.

"Argh," Dulcinea slowly grunts as Kitty's hold was bothering her and was twitching her eyes back and forth with excruciating pain.

"Dulcinea, do you give up?" Jose says, looking at Dulcinea struggling to get out of the hold.

"No!" Dulcinea says, but Kitty applied more pressure on the deadly hold and it made Dulcinea screaming in pain. She was struggling to breathe, and was beginning to pass out.

"Now?" Jose asks. She slowly opens her mouth, but was struggling to put in the words because of that rapidly growing pressure of the headlock.

"N... n... no," she stutters. Then, she could hear the fanbase clapping and stomping, like trying to give her support. She uses that to slowly trying to get up.

"What the..." Kitty exclaims in utter surprise as she saw Dulcinea trying to overpower the headlock and successfully gets both of them up. Dulcinea then delivers to elbows to her chest. Kitty grumps as the two hits managed to disturb her function on her body. Then, Dulcinea uses her paws to strongly try to brrak the hold. Kitty does her best to strengthen her grip, but Dulcinea was too strong and finally breaks free of the hold. Dulcinea rapidly runs to the ropes to swing herself and goes for a clothesline, but Kitty ducks her head underneath her right shoulder. Then, Kitty jumps to the ropes and uses her athleticism to use the ropes to springboard herself. Dulcinea grabs her on her back in-between her legs, but Kitty puts both paws to the mat, making her able to use her flexibility to twists her body up and grab her friend's head with her right arm. Finally, Kitty puts on a grip and slams Dulcinea to the mat again, with an amazing springboard bulldog created by Kitty's defense turning into offense.

Dulcinea goes back to the mat motionless, with excruciating pain shooting right through her body. Then, Kitty quickly climbs the turnbuckle from the bottom left side. She climbs on top of it and jumps, performing a six-thirthy splash and slams her back onto Dulcinea's chest. Dulcinea moans in pain as that splash made her cough because she was struggling to breathe. Kitty takes the opportunity to get down, puts her back into Dulcinea's chest, and hooks her legs up. Jose slides down as Kitty attempts a quick win.

One... Two!" Jose yells as he slams his right palm to the mat. But Dulcinea quickly uses her right arm and jumps her arm to get Kitty off of her, breaking the pinfall and kicking out at two anf a half.

"Jose, it was a three count," Kitty gets up and tries to make her argument that Dulcinea lost.

"No, Kitty. She clearly kicked out in time," said Jose, resting his case. Kitty then grunts in a bit of fustration, but cools off as she went down and uses her legs to choke Dulcinea's sides of her neck. Dulcinea slowly grunts in pain while she was starting to struggle to breathe, and the bones of her neck was starting to break.

"Give up?" Jose says, staring at the strugglish Dulcinea.

"N... no," she says, whimpering in pain. Kitty then applies more pressure on the hold, while then started to roll her around using her whole body, hurting Dulcinea's back in the process. Kitty does it two more times, making the hold, and the back, of Dulcinea shooting through pain.

"Ahhh!" Dulcinea softly screams as she startee to pass out. Dulcinea slowly waves her head sideways, telling Jose that she does not want to surrender. But Kitty's hood was too much for her and, she passes out.

"Dulcinea?" Jose says as he sees her unbale to breathe nor respond to him. Jose lifts her right paw up and lets it go.

"One!" Jose shouts after Dulcinea's paw hit the mat, not responding or fighting back the painful lel headlock Kitty continuously keeps applying pressure as she was squeezing the life out of her neck. Jose lifts her paw once again and lets it go, and once again, she didn't respond.

"Two!" Jose shouts. Kitty puts on her ultimate hold, doing anything she can to keep Dulcinea unconscious so she can win this fight. Jose lifts her paw one more time, and lets it go. But, as it almost hit the mat, Dulcinea's right paw suddenly stopped crashing down to the mat, and small grunting was gritting her teeth. Dulcinea was responding to that painful hold, avoiding sudden defeat.

"No!" Kitty loudly says as she was errupted and mad that Dukcinea found a way to keep the match going, whioe the fans cheer on with this match. Dulcinea then tries to use her strength to get up. She was struggling a bit as Kitty's strong grip to her legs on her lock made her near impossible to do her objective. But Dulcinea pushes through the pain and, despite her body and her legs trembling, she manages to get up and lift Kitty up on her leg. She grabs both her legs, and once she breaks them off of her neck, she lets Kitty go. But Dulcinea rapidly wraps her behind her back, and slams her with a German Suplex.

Kitty was unconscious and was grunting in pain after that German Suplex, making Dulcinea take advantage of the opportunity she's found to climb the top left turnbuckle. She goes to the top, but she was backwards. Then, she jumps and performance an sideway four-fifty splash, better known as a Phoenix Splash, and lands her chest and splashes Kitty's chest hard like a heavy house. Kitty was screaming in pain as her back was hurt from that German suplex slam from before, but that Phoenix Splash made her scream higher and more painful than the last one. And then Dulcinea bridges her legs up to wrap the motionless and unconscious Kitty's right leg, with her arms down, hooks her left leg and goes for a pinfall on Kitty Softpaws.

"One... two!" Jose quickly slams his hand to the mat, but Kitty jumps her body up in full desperation mode, allowing Dulcinea to break the pin, and ultimately kicks out at two. Both cats lied down to the mat as they were in pain. Then, they slowly tried get up despite the pain they are enduring.

"Yucks!" Dulcinea exclaims as she could almost feel victory slipped away, thanks to the resilience of Kitty Softpaws. Then, both cats uses the ropes for support, and moments later, they managed to get up. Kitty went for a kick, but Dulcinea grabs her left leg, and spins her around. Once Kitty got to Dulcinea's face, Dulcinea uses her speed to hit Kitty with a flying forearm. Kitty slams to the ground and gets up quickly, only for Dulcinea to hit her one the head again with that flying forearm. Kitty groans in pain, but shook it off and got back up again. She goes for a punch, but Dulcinea ducks and goes under it, stops for a moment, waits for Kitty to get in position up front, and once she did, Dulcinea jumps backwards and delivers a massive Pele kick to Kitty's forehead, making the hurt black cat fall to the ground motionless.

"Oof," Kitty groans in pain as Dulcinea's kick made her a bit dizzy, holding her head with so much pain. Then, Dulcinea sits on top of her back, and then she sits on top of her right shoulder and bends it hard, locking in a strong grip and successfully applying the Disarmer back armbar submission hold.

"Ahhhhh!" Kitty screams in pain as she us now the one in danger, while Dulcinea applies more pressure to Kitty's right arm.

"Do you give up, Kitty?" Jose asks as Kitty was struggling to move around her bidy ti find a way to escape this hold, but Dulcinea's strong grip was giving her problems.

"No!" Kitty cries out in pain, refusing to guve up to Dulcinea's signature hold while holding her head with her left paw for dear life. Dulcinea continues to apply more pressure to dangerous levels, that Kitty screams in pain as her bones were starting to break apart.

"Now?" Jose asks, once again telling Kitty that if she wants to call it quits.

"N.. no!" Kitty answers defiantly. Then, she sees the ropes being just inches withing her, but she wasn't in enough range and her arm wa not long enough for it to grab it. So, even if it meant she was gonna suffer more, she moves her body, crawling like a desperate cat, to get in close range.

"Arghhhh!" Kitty grunts in a lot of effort, trying to fight throught the pain and predicament that she's in, while Dulcinea keeps breaking that arm off. Then, just as Kitty was reaching and was withing inches away from grabing the ropes, one strong grip on that armbar from Dulcinea, and Kitty's bones was completely broken.

"Ahhhhhhhhh!" Kitty screams as her arm was dislocated, when she was so cloes to reach for the ropes. She could feel Dulcinea extending her bad arm worse than it's already is, making Kitty screaming like a crying loser as she was whimpering and crying with so much pain, like she didn't wanted to fight no more.

"Kitty, do you want to give up now?" Jose worriedly asks. Kitty then raises her left paw as she was thinking it was time to give up, but she stops for a moment, but it only made it worse as Dulcinea's hold continues to hurt Kitty. But then...

"Kitty! Kitty! Kitty! Kitty!" the crowd started chanting her name, showing their support towards her. Kitty's mind was saying to she should call it quits, but with the help of the fans, her heart was pounding so strong and fast, like she didn't wanted give up, not by a long shot, especially what is at stake here. So, with a giant determinated grit on her teeth, a soul of a no quit warrior, and a small battle cry roar, Kitty Softpaws makes a desperate small jump, and grabs the ropes, assuring her salvation and continuation in this match.

"Okay, Dulcinea, break it up," Jose says as she obeys him and quickly lets go of Kitty before he could even make the five count. Kitty was holding her right arm very tight as she was crying in pain while being down on the mat, and it called Jose's attention.

"Kitty, are you alright?" Jose says as he bends down and sees a painful Kitty softly groaning in a lot of pain. Her right arm was broken, and she was panting in exhaustion.

"N... no," she softly says as she grits her teeth due to her arm bothering her, while Dulcinea was slowly getting up, and she is planning to end this match with one of her finishers, the F-5.

"Do you want to stop?" Jose says. Kitty was slowly getting up, and even though it hurt her alot and was gonna bleed inside her bones, she did not care as she realigns her dislocated right arm back into place, and she lets out a huge roaring pain.

"Ahhhhhh! No... Please no," she says as she begged Jose to not end the match and she grabs the ropes to support her. Then, Jose lets out a soft smile and nods his head down, letting Kitty continue the match. Kitty got up despite being in extreme pain, but Dulcinea quickly took the chance of Kitty turning to her position anr lifts her up on top of her shoulders. She takes to stomps as she was ready to finish this, and put the weak Kitty Softpaws away for good this time. Then, she throws Kitty up to her left side, so she can slam Kitty face first with the F-5. But the quick thinking and smart Kitty uses her arms so she can twirl around Dulcinea's body. And she then uses her legs to lock Dulcinea's left arm, while she uses her paws to get a strong grip on her right arm, making Dulcinea fall on the ground chest ane face first because of the move that she made in which she failed. Finally, Kitty stretches Dulcinea's, right arm far away from her body, and completes to secure her own signature submission hold, the Octopus, or mostly known by some people in the crowd, the Black Widow lock.

"Argh!" Dulcinea grunts in pain as she was stuck in the center of the ring, no where near the ropes with no chance to crawl towards it, and desperate to escape while Kitty continues to apply pressure on the hold.

"Dulcinea, do you give up?" Jose says as he seee Rulcinea screaming in pain.

"No!" Dulcinea yells, with lots of pride, as Kitty made the grip and strech her friend's right arm with such force. Dulcinea could feel the pain so much, that it is her arm that got dislocated.

"Ahhhhhhhhh!" Dulcinea lets out a huge scream as everyone, including an emotional Puss, feel her pain and trouble that she's in. Dulcinea slowly raises a little movement of the locked left arm, thinking of giving up, because she felt that she has no escape...

"Dulcinea! Dulcinea! Dulcinea! Dulcinea!" Suddenly, the fans were cheering and chanting their name. Dulcinea stops for a moment, even though she was still in an enormous pain, to hear the fans. She thought for a moment, and decided that she wasn't gonna let them down.

"N... No!" she says after Jose asked her if she'll give up now. Then, she uses her strength to lift Kitty up, and she did, to many people's surprise. She had her knees trembling due to the pain that she's in, and how much effort she put into doing this.

"Not this time!" Kitty says when as soon as Dulcinea got up, she lets go of the hold that took Dulcinea by surprise. Dulcinea then went to attack Kitty, but Kitty quickly delivers a clothesline that slams her down. Dulcinea quickly got up again, only for Kitty to deliver clothesline, this time the effect of that was more powerful than the last. A very hurt Dulcinea got up slowly and throws a punch, but Kitty ducks her head out of the way as she slides way from her. Kitty claps her paws when she sees Dulcinea going into her direction, and grabs Dulcinea on her chest between her legs, and swings her and slams her down with a very fast and thunderous powerslam.

"Yeah!" Kitty shouts in excitement as she sees Dulcinea groaning in pain and quickly hooks her leg for a pin. Jose gets down to the mat and slams the mat once again.

"One... Two!" Jose shouts, ready to slam it for the three count. But Dulcinea jumps her right arm up and removes Kitty off of her, kicking out once again at two an a half.

"Hmmm. One heck of a tough cat, she is," Kitty said to her mind, complimenting and showing respect towards Dulcinea, who was breathing heavily. Then, she got her up by holding her head. Dulcinea frees herself from the grasps of Kitty to attempt a punch, but Kitty grabs her left arm, twists her around, and lifts up and les her go quickly. But then, Kitty grabs Dulcinea on her side of her waist, with Kitty's head between her legs, and slams Dulcinea's back hard, successfully performing her main signature move, a pop-up powerbomb.

"Ohhhhh!" Dulcinea moans softly as that powerbomb knocked her out and was lying motionless on the mat. Kitty thought of pinning her, but she didn't went for it because she assumed that Dulcinea would kick her out again, and she wanted to win this fight once and for all. So she gets her up, and places her on top of the corner on the bottom right side of the ring, thinking of hitting a superplex, a suplex from the top of the corner.

"Time to end this," Kitty says as she climbs the ropes and punches Dulcinea in the face three times to keep her unconscious. Then, she hooks her right arm, and climbs to the thrid rope, the top croner, and uses her strength to finally slam her for the superplex. But something was wrong. Dulcinea suddenly hooks her right leg below the corner, avoiding Kitty to fully hit the move

"What the...?" Kitty says in utter shock as she delivers two punches to Dulcinea's chest, so she can get her leg away and finally make the move. Dulcinea groans in pain, but that didn't stopped her as she delivers a very powerful right punch so hard in Kitty's left side of the chest, that it broke a few bones.

"Ahhhhhhh!" Kitty screams in pain. Then Dulcinea gets Kitty off of her, and now is her turn to hook her left arm with her right arm up and grab her left side of her belt using right paw, with risky and bold intentions on her mind.

"No, no, no, no!" Jose said it in an afraid of something about Dulcinea's plan. Then, in a shocking move that will leave everyone speechless, Dulcinea jumps, along with Kitty, and delivers a massive superplex that landed their backs outside the ring and smashed, crashed, and burned through a black announcer's table.

"Oh, shit!" Jose yells in shock as he rapidly gets out of the ring and checks on Kitty and Dulcinea, who surely have their backs broken in half.

"Dulcinea?! Kitty?!" Jose says in a desperate tone, touching them, but the two girls were knocked out cold, with their faces bruised and so were their bodies, and were barely breathing. The crowd roars in excitement as they couldn't believe this OMG! moment occurred right before their eyes, but Puss was devastated because his two friends were in great danger after that, and he was crying because he couldn't believe everyone else were simply enjoying this suffering his girls, friend and wife, putting their lives basically in danger for the fun and approval of the fans, and that villainous Johnny.

"Call a medic!" Joee says as he wanted to stop the match after seeing the girls in pain. But then, Kitty and Dulcinea pushed Jose out of the way, while their bodies trembles in pain, and looked at him.

"Don't... Stop... The match!" they both said while giving a low growl at him. And Jose was stunned by their determination and will to keep going. So, he granted their desire and return to the ring, so that Dulcinea and Kitty Softpaws can continue fighting for their secured freedom out of this dreadful place and avoid torture.

Kitty and Dulcinea grunts in pain while crawling their bodies to the ring, but they couldn't quite make it there yet. Kitty begins to land somw punches to Dulcinea's face to get her down. But Dulcinea responds by a few punches of her own, hitting Kitty's face. The two cats grunts in pain, all while they continue to punish each other with slow but strong attacks. Then, Dulcinea grabs her friend's head and slams her onto the mat, which Kitty became dizzy holding her head in pain, and that allowed her to carry her body and slides her inside the ring.

"Come on, girl," she says, trying to give herself motivation to pull through her pain, and finally enters the ring. Then, she slowly got Kitty up, only for Kitty to quickly grab her on top of her shoulders. Then, she drops her off and elevates her left knee, and Dulcinea's face hits Kitty's knee, immediately getting dizzy by the knee so hard, that her brain was pounding in extreme concussion-like pain and she falls down, Kitty Softpaws successfully knocks her out with her finisher the GTS, the Go To Sleep.

"Yes!" Kitty said to herself as she did her move. She sees Dulcinea hurt and bleeding a bit on her forehead by Kitty's finisher. Then, Kitty slowly gets down and hooks Dulcinea's legs up for a pinfall.

"One... Two!" Jose once again hits the mat, and he and Kitty could feel victory was well on its way. He raises his palm and lets it fall, but suddenly, to the world's surprise, a weak Dulcinea jumps and kicks out of the GTS, with two thirds of a second before Jose made the three count.

"How!?" Kitty was beyond stunned and livid as she scratches her head with such frustration. She wonders how much more her body can take, how much will she have to do to beat Dulcinea. Then she slowly cralws to the top right corner of the ring, where she uses the ropes to help out her pain body get up. Once she got up, she puts her paws to the ropes and was preparing for her most devastating finisher in her arsenal of deadly moves, the Running Knee. All she needed to do was wait for Dulcinea to get up, so she can hit it and end this once and for all.

Dulcinea was down and out, slowly opening her eyes, and started to try and get up. Her body trembles, with so much pqin shooting through her whole body, and she falls down, being unable to get up.

"Come on, Dulcinea. Get up," Puss in Boots softly whispers while watching the fight. He was very worried for both Dulcinea and Kitty, but he still tries his hardest to support them no matter what. Then, to his and the rest of the crowd's surprise, Dulcinea tries again to get up. She grits hee teeth as she clealry feeling the pain of this battle, but not amount of pain can stop her from keep trying to fight. She slowly gets up, and after the grind has oassed, she successfully gets up.

"There!" Kitty says as she sees Dulcinea slowly turning her head around her direction, ready to seize the opportunity. Kitty runs and charges ahead, and jumps towards Dulcinea with both knees aiming high at her head, so she can knock her out with the Running Knee. But to her shocking surprise, Dulcinea grabs Kitty up on her waist.

"No!" Kitty exclaims as she was in trouble. She tries to swing her body down, allowing her legs to slam Dulcinea's head with an hurricana, but Dulcinea's strength ovepowers her as her grunting sounds of effort pulled Kitty up in a powerbomb position once more. Then, Dulcinea lifts her up in what it seems she was indeed going for that powerbomb, but Dulcinea suddenly changes position, and now she is now carrying Kitty up on her shoulders.

"Let's go!" She exclaims as she lifts Kitty up, turns her to her left side, and as she got down, she uses her arms to navigate Kitty and slam her hard to the mat, commecting her finisher move, the F-5.

"Yeah!" The crowd goes wild, as they see both gals, including an unconscious Kitty, lying on the mat. Jose was about to start the count, but Dulcinea grunts in a lot of bother on her body due to her pain that she's continuing to endure, but she pulls through that and crawls towards Kitty's position slow and steady. Then, she manages to get to an unconscious Kitty, and places her right paw into Kitty's chest for a pin.

"One... Two!" Jose once again counts as he was about to hit the mat for the three count. But, as if it was a click of determination, Kitty puts her left arm uo amd jumps out of desperation, getting Dulcinea's paw out of her chest, and kicking out at two.

Dulcinea and Kitty were exhausted, but Dulcinea suddenly puts her energy into her body and inexplicably jumps upwards and lands on her feet. She goes to the corner and started stomping her right feet, and the crowd claps with each stomp, possibly setting Kitty up for another finiaher of hers, the Sweet Chin Music superkick move.

"Come on, Kitty!" Dulcinea yells as she's got the killer instinct, the cold blooded assasin mentality, while a struggling Kitty slowly opens her eyes and slowly attempts to get up, despite the pain she's in. Kitty slowly crawls to the ropes and grabs it, giving her at least something she can support with in order to get up. Then, she successfully gets up, but she was dizzy from the exhaustion and pain she's been through the enitre fight, making her vision blurry.

"There!" Dulcinea smirks as she sees Kitty in the kill zone, and slowly stomps onto her, and swings her right leg to connect the Superkick. But Kitty's ears sensed danger, and thanks to her instincts, she ducks her head down and dodges the move. Dulcinea gasps in surprised as she turns around, only for Kitty to grab her onto her shoulders and lets it go to deliver another GTS to Dulcinea. Dulcinea was stunned and was stumbling, allowing Kitty to swing to the ropes and have Dulcinea move her head around twelve times, allowing Dulcinea to be dizzy and unable to escape Kitty's next move, as Kitty jumps and raises both her knees up, and hits Dulcinea on her forehead with the Running Knee, knocking her down on the mat hard.

"Finally!" Kitty says as she sees her friend down for the count, and quickly seize the chance to guarantee her freedom, while ahe crawls and hooks her legs up for a pin.

"One... Two!" Jose says as he was about to go for the three count. But again, in a flick of a fire inside her heart, Dulcinea once again kicks out at two and a half. But Kittys sees Dulcinea's right arm wide open, and immediately grabs it and locks it onto her legs, and then she uses her paws to hold a strong grip on Dulcinea's mouth, so she can bend it hard for the crossface submission lock.

"Ahhhhhhh!" Dulcinea screams in pain as Kitty continues to apply pressure on the hold.

"Dulcinea, do you give up?" Jose says as Kitty continues her strong hold, right in the center of the ring. Dulcinea was in deep trouble.

"Arghhhh! N... no!" Dulcinea exclaims, refusing to lose now. Then, she started crawling towards the ropes, but Kitty uses her soft paws to apply it onto Dulcinea's nose and mouth, making her near impossible to breathe.

"Mmmmmmh!" Dulcinea screams in pain, but barely can hear it due to Kitty blocking her mouth with her paws, but at least she was crawling without stopping, and she was inches away from reaching the ropes.

"Give up, Dulcinea?" Jose asks once again, but Dulcinea moves her head sideways, assuring him that she will not give up. Then, she reaches her left paw in order to grab the ropes, but the exhaustion, the pain, the suffering, and the mind from figthing this fight has made Dulcinea starting to pass out.

"Give up, now!" Kitty exclaims she puts her paws and her hold to her strongest pressure, making Dulcinea scream like a crying baby, and finally forcing her to pass out.

"Dulcinea?" Jose says as she touches her head, but she didn't responded. Then, he raises her left shoulder up, and lets it go, while Kitty grits her teeth in effort as she continues to get a strong grip on her submission hold.

"One!" Jose, and the crowd chanting in excitement, yells as Dulcinea couldn't respond. Jose, again, raises her shoulder up, and lets it go.

"Two!" Jose and the crowd yells as Dulcinea's shoulder got down to the mat again, not responding. Kitty keeps applying pressure, feeling that this is it. Jose raises Dulcinea's weak shoulder again. And lets it go, with Puss in Boots closing his eyes from all this emotions he has been getting throughout this fight.

"Thre... wait, Kitty, let go now! One, two, three, four..." Jose and the crowd got confused as they couldn't believe it. Kitty didn't understand, but she was in shock, as she saw Dulcinea grabbing the ropes.

"What?!" Kitty exclaims in frustration as she lets go of her. She gets up, and started having a discussion with Jose.

"She was defeated and out cold! How the hell she grabbed the ropes?!" Kitty screams as she was livid because she thought she had the match won, while Jose tries to remain firm to his referee role.

"Kitty, Dulcinea grabbed the ropes in time. Her paw never hit the mat, so she clearly responded. And don't ever raise your voice to my face ever again, or I'll disqualify you!" Jose warns her as Kitty screams like an enraged beast, furious about what happened. Then, she grabs Dulcinea's unconscious body and puts her to the top of the bottom left corner, plotting a super attack that can end Dulcinea for good.

"Time to end this," she says as she climbs onto the turnbuckle, and delivers two punches to Dulcinea's head so she can stay down. Then, Kitty grabs her onto her shoulders, plotting a super F-5, copying Dulcinea's own finisher and put it against herself.

"Let's see if you can kick out of your own move, Dulcinea," she says as she confidently goee for the move. Bit she stops as suddenly, a determined Dulcinea elbows her jaw three times to not it happen.

"No, you... won't!" Dulcinea exclaims with fire in her eyes as two more elbows finally made Kitty's head dizzy, forcing her to let go of her. The two cats exchanges blows after blows, in an effort for one of them to be stunned enough to fall. Then, Kitty grabs Dulcinea's throat with her right paw and chokes her. Dulcinea coughs as she was having a hard time to breathe. Then, both gals were up, on top of the third turnbuckle, when Kitty hooks Dulcinea's right arm on her right shoulder, so she can backflip and slam her for a Spanish Fly.

"Is over, Dulcinea!" Kitty screams as she was determined to win, but Dulcinea clinches her left fist strongly, and attempts one final shot at saving herself from certain doom.

"Not... if I... have anything to say about it... Kitty!" she growls determinedly as she delivers a hard punch to Kitty's chest.

"Ahhhhhhh!" Kitty moans and grunts in pain as the punch broke about six of her ribs. Dulcinea then takes Kitty's shoulder off of her, and she slowly puts her on top of her shoulders. Kitty delivers five elbows to Dulcinea's jaw in an attempt to avoid Dulcinea's next move, in which Dulcinea moans in pain. But Dulcinea hangs on, and with all her strength left, she remains firm.to her current form, not alloing Kitty to escape this.

"Take... this!" she screams in determination as she jumps, swings kitty to her left side, and slams her back hard with a Super Attitude Adjustment, while Dulcinea falls face first to the mat.

"Ahhhhhhh!" Kitty screams in horrendous pain as she injures heher back by that AA, which made it more difficult for her to try and get up. Dulcinea trembles her body as she tries to get up. Then, both managed to get up. Kitty goes for a roundhouse kick, but Dulcinea grabs her right leg. Kitty was limping, but waited for the right moment and delivers a left side kick to Dulcinea's face, making her stumble around the ring.

"Aha! Kitty exclaims in approval as she tries to get to the ropes and jumps from it directly towards her friend, but Dulcinea calculated her movement, and with great patience, she delivers the Sweet Chin Music superkick to Kitty's face, and Kitty falls down instantly, but her legs got injured because her landing was bad.

"Arghhhh!" Kitty moans in pain as she got knocked out cold. But Dulcinea slowly walks towards her and grabs her on her head and gets her up. The two cats were exhausted, and the pain and scars amd bruises shows ho much they've put each other through in order for one of them to win their freedom.

"Thank you, Kitty," Dulcinea says as she smiles, was honored to have this fight with her. Then, Dulcinea kicks Kitty's gut, hooks her arms around her neck, and with one big jump, Dulcinea sits on the mat and slams Kitty's head off, making her fall flat on the mat, as Dulcinea delivers a killing Stone Cold Stunner.

"Ahhhhh!" Kitty softly groans in pain as she lied down onto the mat motionless. Dulcinea takes a chnace and slolwy, despite her pain, got down and hooks her legs up for a pinfall.

"One!" Jose slams the mat, while the crowd was chanting. Puss had his head down, wanting for this fight to be finally over. Kitty wasn't responding.

"Two!" Everyone said as Kitty was still knocked out cold. Dulcinea closes her eyes, as if she was prepared for a scenario where she might have nothing left in the tank in case Kitty kicks out, or just lied on the floor if she wins. Then, Jose raises his right palm, and...

"Three!" Jose slams the mat as the crowd goes wild. Kitty was unable to kick out, and Dulcinea lies down on the mat exhausted. Jose calls for the bell.

"Here is your winner... Dulcinea!" Jose speaks on a microphone as the crowd were cheering and applauding to Dulcinea, and also Kitty Softpaws, for putting on the best match this fortress has ever had. Kitty sofly opens her mouth as she was too weak to say anything.

"I'm sorry, uncle," those were her final words as she didn't managed to win for her uncle and her freedom, but at least she's made sure Puss was save from any harm.

"Kitty... you made your uncle proud... I'm happy... to have this fight... with you," Dulcinea softly said her final words to her friend, and Kitty nods to her, showing a class act of respect after they fought to the bitter end. Then, Jose lets out a tear as he was sae that he put Kitty to torture, but that didn't stopped him to donthe right thing.

"You two relax. Help is on the way," he says wmas he bends his knees and rubs Kitty and Dulcinea, just as they're about to sleep and await for help to come.

In the castle, meanwhile, Johnny chuckles and applauds, giving sympathy and respect to the two cats that fought hard for once. While Weapon24, also known as Daniel, was snarling like a beast, excited to torture Kitty. While Rival was upset at Jose, like she could finally see through the crowd, that all these years of serving her King was for nothing, was to kill and torture innocent people for his own twisted purposes. She leaves quickly, to Johnny and his creation's surprise. But he didn't cared for her, as long as he gets his revenge on Jose.

"Call for my boat, and tell our men we are leaving in about thirty minutes," Johnny said to Weapon24 as the beast heads towards the weaponry room to give the rest of Johnny's soldiers the heads up, so they can travel to the location of the Chaos Emeralds as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, a tall black guy known as the Butcher, with seven feet eight inches tall weights around five hundred and sixty pounds, marches tk the ring with some chains.

"Bring me the black cat lady, ref," he said to Jose, telling him to hand over Kitty.

"The cat is very hurt. She needs help," he says, explaining to the Butcher to allow Kitty to get medical treatment. The tall guy was mad, and he pushes Jose the ground.

"I said bring me black cat!" Butcher was angry as he wanted Kitty so bad. Jose got angry and gets up, and moves his face straight into the eyes of the big guy.

"Uh-oh," Puss says as he got off the chair and rapidly goes outside so he coukd help out Jose.

"What are you gonna do, puny boy? hit me? Hahahahahahahaha!" the Butcher said as he was laughing off because he believes Jose won't hit him.

"No. This!" Jose exclaims as he carries the near six hundred pound Butcher around his shoulders.

"Woah!" the tall guy, as well as the crowd and Puss, even Johnny, Rival, and Weapon24, were shocked as Jose had enough strength to carry him. Jose was gritting his teeth in effort as he was carrying a tank like the Butcher. Then, he lets out a huge roar, and slams Butcher with an Attitude Adjustment, knocking him down. Jose carries Kitty, while Pusd manages to get in the ring and carries Dulcinea, and the two of them manages to get out of the ring with their two friends and head to a medical, where Jose would do his best to heal them.


	12. Chapter 12

Three hours after witnessing Dulcinea and Kitty Softpaws destroying the living life out of each other in that wrestling match that seemed to be a war zone, a very depressed and worried Puss in Boots was sitting on a chair in the medical room, watching his friend Jose trying and doing his best to help and cure Kitty and Dulcinea from their bruises, hits, damages, small injuries, and wounds they sustained in their fight. Then, Puss sees Jose finishing up his work as he takes off some sweats with his right arm.

"Jose. Are they okay?" said Puss. Jose bends down on one knee as he can see Puss's worry and sad face. He then puts his right hand on his head and rubs it gently, and puts a smile on his face.

"Dulcinea and Kitty's bodies are very hurt. Their chests, arms, and pretty much everything else in their bodies were badly hurt, but not enough to say they are injured, Puss. They will be alright. Let's just wait three hours for them to rest, and after that we leave this nightmare and go to a nearby dessert or some motel so we can locate the last location of the treasure," Jose says. Puss then breathes in relief, grateful that her friends are okay.

"Gracias, Felina," Puss says to his cat-God like figure, as he sits down back in the chair while Jose does the same, and they wait. Wait until Dulcinea and Kitty can wake up, so that they can hand Kitty over to Jonny's goons as part of Kitty losing that fght to Dulcinea.

Two hours after, Puss was getting a sad look on his face.

"Puss. Are you okay?" Jose said, as he sees Puss in his current state of sadness.

"It is just... is just that every single someone from our past comes and ruins our lives, they intend to hurt us, and I am just tire of my friends being the ones paying the price," Puss says, letting his feelings know to Jose and how he has been feeling through their adventures together. Jose took a time to reflect on what Puss said and Puss was right.

"I know Puss. it feels like we are on some Deja Vu vibes lately. Like, asince we've first met, we've been facing personal matters, from Dulcinea and her tulpa powers control, to you and Dulcinea's evil twins on several occasions, and now this with Johnny, the treasure, and how it connects to my father. I wish we just end this whole thing and start adventures that aren't world threatening. And hey, maybe start a family together. I can be a good uncle, hehe," says Jose, trying to lift Puss's spirits up. Puss smiles and looks at Jose.

"Jose. I have been thinking about it. You know, start a family with Dulcinea. And I do not know how she will react to that, or if she does not want that," Puss says, feeling underwhelmed and nervous by those words.

"Hey, Puss. Don't worry. As long as you and Dulcinea stay together, and always be there for one another, there's no telling what fututre you two are gonna have. And I trust Dulcinea, I know she wants to start a family," Jose responds with a smile of trust, which made Puss's heart lift up with big hopes aa he went and hugs Jose. Then, they heard two soft grunting, and they smile.

"Kitty! Dulcinea!" They yell in excitement as they went to their rooms.

"Hey, you two," Dulcinea says as she was slowly getting up, still feeling those effects of the fight, while Kitty smiles as she does the same.

"Easy now, girls. You girls are not at one hundres percent, still," says Puss as Puss holds Dulcinea slowly, while holds Kitty. Both girls grunted in agony, their bodies still bothering them from their past fight.

"Kitty, I..." Dulcinea was stuttering as she was talking to Kitty. Kitty can see her friend's emotions, she can see she's very sorry to put her in the torture room. Then, she went and used her right paw to touch Dulcinea's left shoulder.

"Dulcinea. Don't feel bad for me. We each give it our very best in this fight to earn our freedom. It was gonna end one way or the other. But I was glad that I had this fight with you. You shouldn't be sad about the consequences of our match, rather be happy for the opportunity to have shared the ring with each other, beat the life out of one another, and giving me nothing but your absolute best. I'm happy for you, just promise you will fight to protect the world and your friends, just like you did against me," Kitty says as she smiles at her friend, giving her a sign of trust and respect towards Dulcinea, who gasp in surprise by Kitty's kind and brave words.

"Okay, Kitty. I will. Just be strong out there, please?" Dulcinea says as she hugs Kitty. Kitty embraces that, while smiling. Jose and Puss were dropping a few tears for a moment, knowing that they won't see Kitty for the remainder of the adventure.

"I will," Kitty says as she breaks up the hig with her friend, sharing a few smiles. They were ready to face the dangers of their respective challenges.

"How touching. The friends are getting ready to say their good-byes. How predictable," the voice of Johnny was heard as the team look around, and see him, along with a neutral General Nina and the ruthless Weapon24, and two guards, entering the room from the front door. Johnny was chuckling devilishly, looking right into Jose, who was growling in anger.

"Johnny, what are you up to, now!? says Puss, growling as he puts his right paw onto his sword, in case he needs to take it out, while Weapon24 growl by Puss's threat and unsheathed his claws.

"Now, everyone, we do not want to start a fight you can't win, are we now?" Johnny says, smirking at the direction of Puss, snarling at him like a predator.

"What do you want now, a-hole?" Jose says, with his arms crossed, while Johnny does a villainous humming.

"Nothing, Jose. We just want your Kitty Softpaws to take her to the torture room, or what I like to call it, the Dungeon," says Johnny, pointing his right fingers at Kitty. Dulcinea looks at Kitty, but not with a fearful look, but a brave and determined look, determined to live up to Kitty's promise. Jose and Puss were in their stance, but Kitty got up from her bed, lol limping at their direction.

"Is alright, boys. Don't worry about me. The real adventure is still ahead," Kitty says in her calm voice, convincing them to let down their guards, and come ttonthe reality that Kitty has to go.

"That's the right choice, kitty cat, hehe. Nina, take them away," Johnny says as he snaos his left fingers amd orders Nina, along with the two guards, to grab Kitty and bring her to the Dungeon. Nina puts a disappointing face, like she now knows she's on the wrong side. She grabs Kitty by her right shoulder, but in Nina's right hand, she had a map hidden, and immediately throws it at Dulcinea. Dulcinea senses it and grabs it, then she looks at Nina, hiding a smile as if she knows Dulcinea's abilities. After she grabs the map, she quickly hides it on the back of her armor, preventing Weapon24's high senses, and Johnny's eagle eyes, spoting her and Nina's efforts. After that, they walked Kitty to Johnny's position.

"Sorry for disturbing you three, but is map, like I need it anyways. Oh, and here's my parting gift, so that you will never see me again..." Johnny says as he orders his creation to shred the map to pieces.

"No!" Jose and Puss cries out loud as they see the horror that Weapon24 did. Jose falls to his knees. His only lead to his father's treasure is gone.

"Se ya, chumps!" Johhny chuckles like a monster as he snaps his right fingers, and suddenly the floor falls as Jose, Puss, and Dulcinea fall into a black void.

"No!!!" Kitty screams as she sees her friends falling down, fearing for the worst.

"Take her away, and prepare our troops. We are going to get that treasure, now" Johnny shouts as he waved his left hand, ordering the two soldiers to take her away.

"Ahhhhh!" Jose, Puss, and Dulcinea, scream as they were sliding down, until they went to the back of the building, where their horses are, and landed on them. But thwy were dizzy from the trap, and they decided to take a break.

Meanwhile inside, Johnny was laughing like a maniac as he enjoyed the trap, and tormenting Jose.

"Agent Cattydude, are your men arrived at the house?" Johnny says as he went back to his dark tone. Rival gasps as she was distracted by all the evil she's doing.

"Oh, sorry sir. My men are at the rendezvous point, sir," Nina says.

"Splendid. Give the order now, and destroy the old man," Johnny says as General Rival simply salutes him and goes to her control room, to monitor the events. But then, Johnny smiles a bit as Weapon 24 comes to him.

"Something is wrong with her. If she does something stupid, my dear friend, kill her," he says, ready to betray his number one trusty soldier. Weapon24 simply snarls, like an animal ready to eat its prey.

Way beyond outside the building, and entering the deserts, Puss and Dulcinea were riding on their horses, planning their next move after taking such a huge loss. But Jose wasn't riding with his horse, Rocky, at all. He was crying, that not only he was responsible for Kitty and the map, but also he lost the only memory he had left of his father.

"Puss. He's hurt. I'm gonna talk to him," Dulcinea says. Puss looks at her with a clear look, then he looks at his buddy.

"Okay, Dulcinea. But I don't know how we are gonna get the treasure now," he says.

"Don't worry about. I have a plan. Right now, Jose is more important than some dumb treasure," Dulcinea says as she orders Sweetness to ride to where Jose is. Puss smiles, seeing his mate grown as a leader, and as a friend.

Dulcinea made it to her friend Jose, still crying.

"Jose. Calm down," Dulcinea says as she puts her right paw on his head, trying to calm him down. Jose was sniffing his nose, trying to stop his tears for a moment.

"Dulcinea. Is... is my fault. If it wasn't for me, Kitty would had been saved. The map would still be ours. I'm... I'm sorry I led you all to a trap. I don't know how to live with myself, knowing he killed my parents. I wish... to forget it all, and move on. To start a calmer life, be an uncle or something. It just... I'm so tired dealing with every single demon we face," Jose says, letting his emotions felt, as he slowly cries for a while. Dulcinea can feel he's hurt from inside his heart, while Puss puts a sad face, understanding his pain. Dulcinea lets out a small breath, ready to help her friend out, while Puss slowly makee his way there with Babieca.

"Jose. This is not your fault. Ever since Puss and I met you, you have led us to glorious adventures. And we each had to face our demons, like Puss with Evil Puss, myself with my evil twin sister and my powers when we faced Thanos, and now you with Johnny. But through it all, just like you will do the same, we all sticked together and helped each other out. Jose, I'm sorry this has happened to you, but Puss, Kitty, and I, decided to go to this adventure because we love it. And I know life has been rough on us. Believe me, I want to start a family too, but it's the life of a hero. Jose, I love you, and I'm with you till the end. But I can't do this without you. If we want to save the world again, I need my Lord of Thunder,"

Dulcinea says with such optimism and smile as she takes out the map Nina gave her from the back of her armor. And Puss, especially Jose, were shocked at what Dulcinea has, and Puss was smiling. Jose now was shredding of joy, knowing that his father's map is still with him.

"Thank you, Captain Tulpa!" Jose says as he hugs Dulcinea proudly. Puss smiles, seeing that the trio are back at full strength. Then, Jose breathes for a moment, and lets out a smirk on his face. Then, he reads the map, and sees the last location of the map, where the treasure is. In San Lorenzo, Puerto Rico.

"My birthplace," he says, while his friends looked stunned and in awe.

"So, my friends, ready to get back to adventuring and save the world?" Puss says as he quickly yells at Babieca pridefully and rides. Jose and Dulcinea smiles as they simply yelled at their horses to follow Puss. The three of them ride into the deserts with newfound spirits and strenght, ready to continue their Johnny, and stop Johnny once and for all.


	13. Chapter 13

General Cattydude was making her way to the control room, in which she powers in a drone, and she spots a hundred of her soldier, dressed in ghost armor and with military equipment, slowly approaching the shack that El Guante Blanco is in. She then puts on some headphones that allows her to communicate with her soldiers, but deep down inside, she was still struggling about what was the right thing. To continue serving Johnny, or to listen to Jose's pleadings.

"Blue Eagle, this is Arrow Launcher, come in. Over," Nina says, seeing the team surrounding the old shack. Then, the leader, a tall and buffed tiger, told his crew to hold their position using hand signs and they all listen. The tiger then touched the right side of his headphones to communicate with Rival.

"Arrow Launcher, this is Blue Eagle. We are in position," he says. Then he turns over to one of the snipers, a regular sized man, who was about far way from the house.

"Cobra Snip, what's your status on the house, over?" Blue Eagle asks, while he and his troops turned their googles to nightmode as they were crawling throught the sands of this environment. Cobra Snip was adjusting his sniper to get a better look at Guante Blanco, and he was just standing at the front door, with his small staff, as if he was well alerted and aware of the trap they're about to spring on him.

"Cobra Snip here. The target is at the front door, but is in a stance. Like he's expecting us to hit him," the sniper responds, but before he could hear what his leader was about to say, suddenly the blacked dressed vigilante came from behind and wrapped his shoulders around the sniper's neck. The sniper was gasping for air and moving around deseperately, but the mysterious figure blocked his mouth, preventing the poor soldier to do any sign of warning to his team. Then, the vigilante rolls him around and delivers a powerful right strike to the side of his face, knocking the sniper out cold.

"Okay. Be our eyes and ears. If he tries to attack us out of nowhere and for some reason we don't stop him, you kill that cat straight away," Bald Eagle says, unaware to him and his team that Cobra Snip was already taken out. But the vigilante grabs his headphones and successfully manages to mimick his strong and upside tone of his.

"Roger that!" the vigilante says, throwing away his hearphones and runs to his horse to protect the old black cat.

El Guante Blanco was standing at the front door. His ears were moving at evrry direction possible, to detect the moves of the enemy.

"Bring it on, you losers," he says, not intimidated by this. He knew he was gonna lose regardless of how much he can possibly hold on, but he also knew that Kitty is safe, or so he thought...

The enemies have surrounded the shack, and was ready to attack the old cat.

"Arrow Launcher, this is Blue Eagle, we are in position to strike!" Blue Eagle whispers as he and his troops were prepping their guns to explode into the shack.

"Blue Eagle, engage with precautions. I want the cat killed by swords, to cover our tracks. Set guns to stun," General Argentica says through the com links, but her mind and heart wouldn't stop thinking about she's doing the wrong thing. She startre looking behind the door, thinking about Kitty's torment in the Dungeon, and how she could feel responsible for the death of an uncle and his niece.

"Roger that. Giantsnation, on me!" Blue Eagle says as he orders his team to get ready to strike El Guante Blanco. Then, just as the team was ready, he gave the signal.

"Now!" says Blue Eagle as his team breaks through the windows of the shack, and started to capture the old cat. But to everyone's surprise, El Guante moved suddenly fast to dodge their attacks, and with his small stafg, he attacks the enemies with good precision and technique. Blue Eagle was in shock as this senile old man was knocking down fifteen of his men.

"Ha! Is this the best your empire has to offer?!" Guante Blanco smirks in pride as he continues to beat down five more guards. He was too fast and small for them to slash him with a sword, or get a clear shot to stun him. But the leader wouldn't be denied. So, the tiger got his stun gun, and fired upon, and hits Guante Blanco on the right arm, preventing him to hit one of the tiger's partners, a small grey fox. The old cat screams in agony as his his body was starting to give in in the old body and weak endurance.

"What's wrong, old cat? Can't keep up against the First Order? Haha!" the greedy fox says as he delivers a kick to the cat's guts, breaking his ribs, knocking him out. And seventy-nine of the team started kicking him on the ground, before the old cat could even let out his scream of his injured ribs. They continue kicking him, debilitating him, and they were enjoying this very, very much. Then, the team surrounded El Guante Blanco in a circle, while others were covering the shak, in case if anyone all of a sudden attacks them by surprise.

"You... You won't get away, even if you kull me. My niece is alright, which matters more than my life!" the old cat says, in a shivering tone. His body was running out of energy fast, and the pain was getting worse. He was slowly dying, but possibly could still be alive if he just rest. But the enemies were smirking so devilishly, and Guante Blanco was acting so suspicious.

"What are you laughing at? Answet me!" the old cat yells as his tone now changed to an angry, overprotective one, trying to find out their sudden laughter.

"Oh, nothing. It's just that we are going to kill you, knowing that we will then kill your stupid niece at our fortress," Blue Eagle says, and Guante Blanco's eyes widened in horror as he couldn't believe what he just said.

"No... no that's not true! You must be lying!" Guante says, breaking his words with a fearful tone, afraid that they might be telling the truth about Kitty's fate.

"Oh, don't worry. We will kill you, even if you don't believe that your precious Kitty is being beaten down at the Dungeon, haha!" the bad tiger responds, and as soon as he ordered his soldiers to stab him, a golden beam strike upon a window and hits one of the soldiers.

"It's him! Spread out, find that bitch, and kill him! I want his head, now!" Blue Eagle shouts his men, whike they prepare to hunt down the source of the sudden attack. Then, throughout the monitor TV, a desperate Rival calls the tiger.

"Blue Eagle, what's happening, over?" she says, seeing her men looking desperately for the mysterious attacker.

"It's here!" the tiger yells, trying to get his hear in the game as everyone was aiming at the window on the upper left side of the shack.

"Who's here, Commander?!?" Rival shouts, but as soon as the tiger was about to give an answer, the windows breaks, showing the vigilante coming to kick two of the many soldiers with such power, sending them flying out of the house.

"Who are you?!?" an angry Blue Eagle yells as he and his men surrounded a weakly ill El Guante Blanco, who couldn't believe what is happening. Then, the small vigilante takes out a golden sword, which leaves the bad guys in utter shock.

"Wait. Is that, the legendary Keyblade? Blue Eagle, stop!" Rival was screaming as she was seeing the current problem, and was trying to warn the tiger about this mysterious foe. But then, she saw as the vigilante took out the hoodie off of his head and revealed to everyone in the shack...

"Mickey Mouse?!?!?" The entire team says in stun. The Legendary Mouse has somehow managed his way to this universe, and he sets his stance with his Keyblade, not saying one word. He was ready to fight.

"Fire!" Blue Eagle says in anger as he and his soldiers fire their guns, changing them from stunt to kill, at Mickey but couldn't hit anything as Mickey was too fast to hit them. Then, Mickey swings his sword and delivers countless slash to several soldiers.

"Ahhh!" the sounds of their pain were heard with each and every aatack from Mickey. Then, seventeen of them circle him around with their swords and attacked him. But Mickey uses his Keyblade to block every attack at a great pace. Then, he jumps up to avoid an attack from them, and his Keyblade was humming a bright golden beam. Mickey spins around in mid-air and fire upon his super beam, destroying each and every soldier around. The enemies have now been reduced from seventy-nine to a surprising ten soldiers. The tiger was hiding around like a coward. Meanwhile, Rivak was seeing everything from her room, and closes her eyes as if she has come to an inevitable realization. She turns off the TV and left the room.

"Kill him!" Blue Eagle yells as he couldn't believe it. He was seeing Mickey delivering rapid kicks, punches, beam strikes, slashes, and many more powerful attacks to his men, and the tiger knew his team was doomed, unless, he kills him without knowing it. So he took his gun, and was aiming at Mickey. Mickey stops for a moment as he was about to knock out the tiger's last line of defense. The tiger saw Mickey was doing a headbutt, and he didn't care if he knocked down his last partner, because Mickey was now in his hotspot.

"Gotcha!" he says as he shoots his gun, and was chuckling uncontrollably. But Mickey closes his eyes and opens his right hand, and suddenly, his Keyblade was spinning around like a shield and rips the bullet in half.

"What?!? No!" Blue Tiger was in shock, his body trembling in fear, while Mickey runs very fast and spears him. Mickey then puts his right foot on his chest, and holds his Keyblade close to the tiger's chest.

"Wait! Don't kill me! I'll... I'll give you anything! You want that old man and his niece? Here, I can take you to the fortress!" the desperate tiger stutters for dear life as he was doing anything he can to leave the shack alive. But Mickey lets out a small giggle.

"I already know where she is, but I thank your generosity," Mickey says ae he delivers a powerful left hook to the side of the tiger's face, knocking him out cold. Then, he turns his head and sees the old cat in shock, but was dying. Mickey walks to his direction, and uses his Keyblade to start a magic spell to heal him, but he would make the cat sleep in order for Guabte Blanco to heal properly.

"Please...save...my...little niece," a sleepy Guante Blanco begs to the kind mouse as he closes his eyes and falls asleep. Mickey lets out a small smile, assuring him that he will.

"Don't worry, sir. I'll rescue her," he says. Then, Mickey uses a teleportation spell to send El Guante Blanco to San Ricardo, keeping him far away from danger as possible. Later, he leaves the shack and hops on his horse. He lets out a small shout as he started riding fast, on to the direction of the fortress, to rescue Kitty Softpaws from the forces of evil.


	14. Chapter 14

Meanwhile at the Dungeon...

Kitty Softpaws was screaming in pain, by the many whiplash two guards, a giant lion and an even gigantic and strong rhino, have been hitting her through her entire body. She's been tortured for five hours, and she was feeling very weak, breathing heavily, and her heartbeat was slowly diminishing, as she was down to the ground. Like she could die from her hellish pain, wounds, and more.

"What's wrong, kitty cat? Can't call your friends?" the rhino disrespectfully says as he and his partner were laughing at Kitty's painful predicament.

"Yes! you are all alone, and we will make sure your death will be slow and painful! Hahaha! the lion guard says it so despicably rude, and he and his partner were stomping Kitty several times to her chest, back, and tail area She screamed in pain, gritting her teeth hard, her body trembling. She was also breathing slowly and her heartbeat slowing down. She was dying.

"Hey, let say we finish her for good?" One of the guard, the rhino, says. While the lion just snarls like a vicious predator as he agrees to the plan and slowly was removing his sword from his belt, and the other guard got a weak Kittu up, jerking her from her back of her head, and started wrapping his gigantic arms around her neck to choke her. Kitty was struggling to escape the hold and her body and neck were slowly getting snapped in half. Then, the lion guard with the sword puts his paws and squash her mouth and lips area, looking straight to her eyes, ready to end her life.

"Time to die!" says the lion as he lift his sword up, ready to slash her head off. But then, they heard some rumbling from afar.

"What is that?" the lion asks as he stopped his motion for a moment and looks around the outside window.

"Well, what is it?" the rhino says as he was watching the lion still looking. Then, in an instant, a gold beam came at the speed of sound and hits the rocks covering the window, breaking the lion.

"What the...!" the rhino shouts in fear and shock, while a mysterious figure came on top of the rocks that were burying the dead lion, and started delivering sidekicks the the rhino's legs, making him stumble on a knee. Then it delivers some fast punches to the chest of the rhino and followed it up with a jumping heel kick that makes the rhino get back up and gets dizzy and groaning in pain. Then, a weak but slowly recovered Kitty slowly got her tail up and uses it as a rope to trip the rhino hard on the floor, breaking his back, leaving the mysterious caped fighter to take out its sword, throws it a a superhuman speed, and pierce it through the heart of the defeated rhino, killing him in an instant. After the short fight, the caped fighter took off his sword from the rhino's chest, and later his hoodie, revealing to be Mickey Mouse, and offers a weary Kitty her paw.

"Who...who are you?" Kitty softly says, still weak and hurt, having doubts about the skilled warrior that saved her.

"I'm Mickey Mouse. I have been following you and your friends throughout your journey, even protecting you four from sneak attacks and more. You could say, I'mthe one that started this journey," Mickey says, smiling at Kitty, Kitty was surprised that Mickey was following them, and she didn't even sensed it. Kitty still had doubts about him, but she could sense she can trust him, so she grabs his hands and Mickey helped her get up.

"Thanks. But, since when did you followed us? And my uncle... is he?" Kitty says, worried for her uncle, while she was stretching her hurt body as she was putting her bones back together, and sees Mickey smiling and leaves a playful giggle.

"Haha, miss Softpaws, I was the one that sent that treasure map to Jose. And don't worry, I rescued your uncle before those soldiers came to attack him," Mickey reveals his secret, and Kitty was amazed by this, but also glad El Guante Blanco was okay. Then, Mickey uses his Keysword to make a magical spell. And then, the spell was completed, and Kitty's sword suddenly appears along with her belt and boots. Kitty widened her eyes in total shock and awe.

"Thank you, Mickey. Let's say we bust out of here and find where Johnny and his goons are, I'm sure that's where my friends are headed," Kitty says as she takes her sword out, while Mickey smiles and nods at her idea.

"Hot dog! Let's go!" Mickey shouts in an incredible adventurous tone as he and Kitty walked towards the door. Then, the knocked the door open, surprising a few soldiers, and they began fighting them off. One by one, enemies came, ap.ost as far as they would outnumber the heroes by a large margin. But no matter how many soldiers they brought, the combined skills, strengths, and abilities of Mickey Mouse and Kitty Softpaws were kicking their butts left and right over and over again.

Meanwhile, General Argentica was watching on her room throught some monitors how her soldiers were getting their butts kicked. But she puts her head down, as if she was reflecting. Reflecting on her life, her choices, and her position with Johnny. She owes everything to him ever since he saved her from the wreckage of her past. But she was also reflecting about what Jose told her about

the path she's taking, and what she saw from him and his group of friends, how they take care of each other. She was having a crisis for a choice.

Then, she saw the soliders starting to outnumber the two heroes and pinned them. Both of them were brave enough to take them on, but they were gonna lose nonetheless. This was a choice for Nina. Either stay put and segment her place as Johnny's perfect general, or finally come to her senses and rebel agaisnt him.

Meanwhile, Mickey and Kitty snarled like two figther not intimated by the odds, as they hold their swords ver tight, ready for battle. But then, just as the soldiers were about to attack them, a black arrow struck one of the soldiers right throught its chest, and the arrow kept flying and hitting the rest of them through their heads, hearts, and body. Then, the arrow flew right into the hands of a red haired female with black archer clothing, smiling in the direction of Kitty and Mickey, who were stunned and shock by the person who saved them.

"What are you doing here?" an unamused Kitty said as the person who saved them was Nina Argentica, the same person that brought nothing but misery to her friends.

"I...I know you're upset and angry. But I'm done with this path of injustice. Please, give me a chance. I know where Hohnny is going, and I wouldn't be surprised if your friends followed them. Please, just let me prove to you that I've changed," Nina says as she throws a map. Mickey grabs it and he and Kitty see that San Lorenzo, Puerto Rico has a red dot on it, meaning the location of the Chaos Emeralds. Mickey then looked at General Rival, and he could see her face expression that she's telling the truth.

"Okay, Nina. Let's go," he says with an open smile, while Nina's face was so full of hope and smile as she started walking towards them, heading into the gates so they can ride and leave this fortress. Kitty was still not convinced by this as she tries to forget about it and focus on rescuing her friends.

Once they left the building, all three unlike teammates hopped onto their horses.

"Ready?" Mickey says as he got his stuff ready, while Nina gives him a nod.

"Almost there," Kitty says as she was getting everything set on the saddle. But then, a growling noise got Nina's attention, as if she could hear something from afar. And then, just as the growl volume increased, she realized she was followed. Johnny somehow knows about her betrayal.

"Kitty!" she yells as Kitty looked at her. Then, a gunfire bullet came super fast, and Nina jumps on top of her brown horse, pushes Kitty out of her own horse and saves her, but the bullet hit Nina's chest, with both ladies falling into the sand ground.

"Nina, Kittty!" Mickey Mouse worriedly yells out as he then fires a gold beam on his sword and it hit something on the far side. The rocks were falling down, revealing the sniper. It was Weapon X24, he was following Nina the whole time. He was snarling happily, seeing blood coming out of Nina, who was groaning and feeling very week.

"Nina," he only said one word, but his death glare showed a whole lot, and it was the look of a cold blooded killer. He enjoyed every bit of that shot. And before Mickey tried to confront him, the beast used a portal teleportation to leave the place, presumably heading towards Johnny's position.

"Nina, hang on!" Kitty cries out as she was trying to hold Nina's wounded chest. She was losing a lot of blood.

"It...is...okay...my...only regret...is that...I didn't...turned on...him...sooner.." Mina softly, but weakly, said as she was happy she did this. It gave her purpose in life again, but she closes her eyes as she was breathing heavily and weakly, she was dying. Mickey bends his knees and sees her conditions. Then, he looked at Kitty, as he gave Nina a small potion so she could survive a journey back to the shack.

"Kitty, take Nina to the shack. I'll help your friends," he says. Kitty Softpaws was in a world of confusion and disorder. She wanted to help her friends, but she didn't trusted the mouse enough. But, she didn't trusted in Nina at first, and she saved her from getting killed by this uncontrollable monster. She owed it to her. Kitty took a deep breathe, and spoke to Mickey.

"Okay. Just help them get back to me. They mean the world to me," she says as she put Nina carefully to her black horse. She later hops in, and rides her horse to take them to the shack so she can try and help Nina. Mickey then hops on his horse, and put out a determined look in his eyes.

"I will," he says determinedly, promising to help Jose, Puss in Boots, and Dulcinea. Then, he yells at his horse, and his horse rides his friend towards San Lorenzo, Puerto Rico, ready to battle the forces of evil once again for the good of the world.


End file.
